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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29143344">Beyond the Veil</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gregora/pseuds/Gregora'>Gregora</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Beyond the Veil [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Before Crisis: Final Fantasy VII, Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII (Video Game 1997), Final Fantasy VII Remake (Video Game 2020)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Asexual Character, Asexual Relationship, BAMF Sephiroth (Compilation of FFVII), Canon-Typical Violence, Creepy Hojo (Compilation of FFVII), Dramatic Genesis Rhapsodos, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, F/M, Hojo (Compilation of FFVII) Being An Asshole, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Isekai, It's All Hojo's (Compilation of FFVII) Fault, Just watch out for chapter 32, Lots of drama, Mild Language, Multi, Neurodiversity, Not Beta Read, Sane Sephiroth (Compilation of FFVII), Sephiroth is a little shit at times, Sephiroth's (Compilation of FFVII) Terrible Childhood, Strong Female Characters, There's two Sephiroth involved, They will eventually meet, Time Travel, Warning: Hojo (Compilation of FFVII), Wutai War (Compilation of FFVII), bit of a fix-it, but for only an arc, but it's all backstory, character based humor, insane/evil Sephiroth, it just has a bit of everything I guess, like I wouldn't be surprised if smut doesn't happen before chapter 60 at this rate, post AC Sephiroth, really eventual on the smut, so now there's one time that rape happens in story but it's because of plot and it's done vaguely, very very vaguely</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-04-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 08:15:24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Rape/Non-Con</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>53</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>225,855</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29143344</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gregora/pseuds/Gregora</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>One day, Ami's life changed. She found herself torn from her world and landed in a familiar world. When she is informed of her future as Hojo's newest lab rat, she picks a fight she knows she would never win. A fight which caught everyone's attention and has altered Shinra's plans for her. When she finds out that her SOLDIER mentor is someone she definitely is a fangirl of, will she be able to remain sane while also dealing with being trained by him? Will she manage to cope being the first official female SOLDIER? But more pressing - how will she use her knowledge of potential future events? Will she save her mentor from a monstrous fate or allow things to play out? </p><p>To complicate matters further, there's a mysterious shadow looming - one that looks like her mentor but isn't.</p><p>Notes: This is a re-write of a story I last worked on 11 years ago. Things have changed and the plot is vaguely different. There are some obscenities, but all F-bombs are censored.</p><p>Update: A relationship reaches a new level and a certain scientist is pleased.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Sephiroth/Original Character, Zack Fair/Aerith Gainsborough</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Beyond the Veil [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2238561</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>40</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>46</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Beyond the Veil</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Entering a New? World</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Disclaimer: I don’t own squat except for Ami. I’m just playing in Square-Enix’s sandbox, yo. Also, I need feedback and lots of since I know I’m not perfect and if things don’t mesh or match up, I welcome advice. Anyways, on with the story!</p><p>Trigger Warning: Violence, Transphobia (the jerk gets punished for it)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Chapter One</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ami loudly and with some restraint roared down the road on her motorcycle, knowing better than to cut loose. She’d gotten enough traffic violations that she was liable to get her license pulled. She took a tight turn at an intersection, just passed a few secondhand shops after having her turn signal going almost longer than necessary. The little things just to avoid the attention of a bored cop. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She started to slow down on the empty street, knowing that most intersections on this street had stop signs rather than lights and she refused to get into another wreck. She slowed down to the proper speeds as she passed a school, hearing the sounds of the children playing, threatening to bring up less than pleasant memories. She breathed a sigh of relief as she left the school speed zone, the motorcycle growing in volume as she wished nothing more than to put space between herself and an unfortunate reminder of her past. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘The routes I have to take in the name of efficiency.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After a few more blocks of houses, she started to see more apartment complexes and coasted before pulling up to a specific apartment complex. She knew what she was supposed to do. It was her job, after all. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She climbed off the monster of a motorcycle and set her helmet on the seat. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘Shouldn’t take too long. Just making my rounds,’ </span>
  </em>
  <span>Ami thought, almost as if she were talking to her motorcycle. She checked over her black cotton trench coat, feeling through her coat’s pockets to make sure she hadn’t lost anything and that everything was still in place, more a formality to ensure that if she needed anything, it was within her reach. Under the massive black coat was a black business suit with a black shirt and a black tie. She even had dark sunglasses to really make her look complete, making her smirk as she allowed herself a moment to slightly ease the tension that was coiled within herself. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘I wonder how many times I’ve told Boss Man that we look like freaking Men In Black in this getup. I can make the comment again just to remind him when I report in.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She lazily sidled up to the building, one of those old styles that had all access to the apartments on the inside and didn’t require being buzzed in. She continued her amble, going up the stairs as if she wasn’t in a hurry as she prepared herself in case the idiot Jake wanted to make it a fight. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘Once I speak, he’s going to know I’m not a guy and they always think they could walk all over me. Testosterone laden fools.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She reached the door she needed and knocked. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘Shave and a haircut.’</span>
  </em>
  <span> The door opened, revealing one of those chain bolts which kept the door from fully opening and a sniveling looking man looked at her. His beady and bloodshot eyes seemed to scan her from head to toe, clearly missing the admittedly subtle hints of her gender as he glared at her as if she were another man.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What do you want?” the man asked, sounding less like a question and more like a demand.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Boss wants his money,” she responded with a frown, “he said that if you don’t have it, then you’ll pay in skin.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She saw him look her up and down a second time as if he’d expected a deeper voice coming from her. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘The joys of having no rack or curves to speak of.’</span>
  </em>
  <span> He clearly got an idea, which they usually did once they figured that she wasn’t a guy and unlatched the door with a nod.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Please come in,” the man said with a smile which oozed nothing but lechery and bravado as he stepped aside, making what she took as a welcoming motion with his hands.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>She may as well play along and get some exercise in. She strolled in with her hands in her pockets. Or what had been her pockets before she got busy one night and modified her coat, carefully using scissors to open them up, allowing her to use the space between the coat and its removable insulated liner as a much larger pocket. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘Gotta love the hidden pockets,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> she thought to herself as her fingers met the familiar tape covered metal. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Nice place,” she said, looking around, knowing that she was absolutely lying since the place was actually a dump as she heard the door shut behind the man followed by the sound of the deadbolt.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Go ahead and block off your one avenue of escape, idiot,’ </span>
  </em>
  <span>she thought as she took in the ratty apartment, garbage overflowing, an absolute wreck of a couch against a wall and in front of it was a coffee table made from one long piece of plywood resting on top of stacked milk crates, a stack on each of the two short ends. A kitchenette that made her’s look spotless, boxes and paper plates and pizza boxes, and only heaven knows what else covering the counters. There was a partially opened door leading out of the room and she didn’t want to guess what kind of horrors lurked behind it in the dark room beyond. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So what about the money?” she asked, watching his expression change, going from welcoming with a side of lechery to lecherous with a side of egoism.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He prowled towards her as he said, “screw the money. There’s something far more important on my mind.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She knew that it was easier to pull out her weapons now than wait until the idiot could get any closer. She pulled out what amounted to three foot pipes in each hand, holding them like short swords in each hand.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Then I suggest you focus on what is important to both of us, unless you want to find yourself in a world of pain,” she said calmly, watching him very carefully.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Like a girl like you could--”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She didn’t even bother waiting to hear the rest of the man’s sexist statement before she made her move. She didn’t even bother using her weapons, instead kicking upward until the toe of her boots met flesh and kept going until her leg was parallel with the floor. The idiot of a man collapsed onto the floor once she withdrew her leg, a whimpering sack of filth on the floor.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Money or pain. What will you choose?” she asked, allowing herself to frown just the tiniest bit, “I have no problems breaking all but ohh… thirty-six of your bones.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Why thirty-six?” the man almost screaked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thirty three in the spinal column, then add your skull and your two femurs. If you ask nicely, I may also spare your jaw,” she said with only a trace of amusement.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“But you’re a girl,” the man said with a frown, forcing himself to sit up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She swung the pipe in her right hand low enough to hit his ribs, causing him to cry out. She knew she hadn’t hit hard enough to break any bones yet.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Focus. Money or skin.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ll give you all I have,” the man said before shakily standing up and pulling out his wallet.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She frowned as she moved her legs so that she could free up a hand by holding a pipe with her knees. She didn’t want to make it any easier to be caught unaware - she’d been around too many blocks to fall for any tricks. She held out her hand, prompting the man to either place the wallet in her hand or toss it at her. Unsurprisingly, he approached her and tried to use the handoff as a distraction by sweeping his leg to trip her. She allowed herself to be tripped, using her training to fall just right so she could curl up in order to accomplish two things. The first was to move the length of pipe back to her hand and the second was to do a backwards somersault onto her feet.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I suggest you apologize for your error,” she said calmly with a slight smirk, “or I will beat one out of you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m not gonna apologize to some bit-” he sneered before he was cut off by an impact to the left side of his torso.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She allowed herself to grin at the fact that she heard the breaking of ribs as the man staggered back, his arms wrapped around the site of the impact.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I wasn’t kidding when I said that I have no problem breaking your bones,” she said, hearing amusement in her voice as she moved her head to make her neck pop, “giving you one last chance or I might just use you for my morning exercise.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She fell into her usual defensive stance which would look like she was relaxed and unaware as the man glared at her before lunging at her. She blocked the lunge by moving her pipes into a crossed formation and shoved him off his feet with a laugh. The guy barely had any training, let alone muscles, and even fewer brains. She moved her arms back to pop her shoulder blades as she watched the man get back to his feet.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“There is no way a girl could ever…” she heard him mutter before asking, “you’re one of those she-males aren’tcha?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She knew that allowing her anger and wrath to control her would make her sloppy and give him an edge. But what little pride she allowed herself to have screamed in fiery rage, demanding violent retribution. Too many times, she’d caught herself the target of dirty looks simply for appearing too masculine to be worthy of the womens’ restroom. Always ostracized immediately for being too handsome, too androgynous. Either that or she had women throw themselves at her. Either was exhausting.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I wonder if you still have a di-” the guy started to sneer before he was interrupted by a length of pipe smacking him in the face, causing blood to run from his clearly broken nose.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Fragile male pride,” she scoffed as he held his face in his hands as she started beating on his unguarded body as if he was a pinata and she had two sticks. “If you weren’t a piece of gutter slime, I’d prove just how much of a girl I am and break your body in my panties.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She let out a sigh as she heard him do nothing but whimper and twitch on the floor once her rage was sated. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘Job’s a job. The amount of skin taken should cover the difference, at least.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I know you won’t like this assignment,” Lazard said with a frown as he regarded the three First Class SOLDIERs before pushing his glasses up his nose with a gloved finger, “but it may just prove necessary.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sephiroth spared a glance toward his compatriots and friends, Angeal and Genesis. Already, he was ready to decline simply due to Lazard’s preamble, but he was willing to accept the assignment if Angeal and Genesis were willing to go along. He merely crossed his arms in front of him as he saw the small movements his two friends were making which clearly translated to </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘more information needed before we make a decision.’ </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“The scientists have been making headway on their latest project,” Lazard said, “preliminary tests and research looks promising and they require some level of security. They believe that they can create a bridge between this world and another. Security is requested in case something hostile uses the bridge and I’d rather have my best men there to deal with any potential enemies. Heidegger has informed me that he will also request additional security from Veld as well as further insurance.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“A bridge between worlds,” Sephiroth mused, “do they really think that it will work?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“If it doesn’t, we’d have only wasted some time,” Angeal said evenly with the expression that said that he clearly didn’t have any high hopes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And if it does, it might prove to be interesting,” Genesis added with a smile, “either way, I don’t see a reason to decline. After all, what’s the worst that could happen?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And you just might have doomed us with those words,” Angeal said with a heavy sigh and a frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She strode into the lavish office with her customary relaxed gait. Unlike most who interacted with the boss, she held no fear, only respect. She allowed memories to echo on the edge of her mind, particularly that day all those years ago. The time when she’d woken up in the hospital. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She was drugged up with who knows what drugs, she knew it had to be a cocktail of painkillers and stuff to prevent infection at the very least. She’d been completely numb as she looked up and over, her younger self hoping and expecting to see her father. Instead, it was the boss. He’d looked sad then, but a touch hopeful.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Slime’s been dealt with,” she said as she stopped in front of his desk, setting down a wad of bills, “took out some of its skin.” She saw an expression of curious amusement on the boss’s face, prompting her to continue in her usual calmly detached manner, “it insinuated that I was transitioning.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The man behind the desk let out a sigh, moving a hand to pinch the bridge of his nose. She heard him take in a deep breath before looking at her in a clear mix of affection, annoyance, and amusement. To Ami, it was the expression he always had on his face whenever he spoke to her unless she’d ticked him off. Which wasn’t as often as she’d like.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You can’t always rough them up because they set off your sense of feminine ego,” he said with a sigh, his tone half amused and half resigned, “it’s their way of asserting control of the situation.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Which backfires on them so beautifully,” she responded, the barest of smirks breaking her expression of calm detachment, “it deserved those broken bones.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He nodded, not so much in agreement as in acceptance of what had transpired before clearing his throat, “I’ve got a mission for you. I need a courier.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Got groceries you want me to pick up?” she asked with a bit of humor.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You could say that. I have a package I need picked up from the riverfront,” he said with a smile, “it should be arriving in a half an hour.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It will be done,” she said as she gave him one of her dramatically overdone bows before turning around and lazilly striding out of the office that looked like a den or a study.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The Turks were already in position when the three SOLDIERs strode in. Rude and Tseng were flanking the door and Reno was in position to intercept if whatever materialized managed to break through three SOLDIERs. Tseng knew that the forces would have been in greater numbers had there been any sort of confidence in the machine. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Once the SOLDIERs were past Reno, they gave each other nods before clearly moving into a formation themselves. Angeal took a position on Rude’s side of the room, giving the Turk a nod of acknowledgement. Genesis, in his usual laid-back manner which made Tseng see a parallel to Reno, moved to mirror Angeal, taking a position a matter of paces off to Tseng’s two o’clock. Sephiroth, however, clearly looked down at the cross symbol on the floor and moved so that he’d be able to initially intercept if the machine worked and what came through was hostile. He hoped for that to be the case since it meant he could spare a creature’s suffering at Hojo’s hands.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ready for the test. Security is in position,” one of Hojo’s assistants called over to the scientist.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>From his position on an overlook where he knew there was no way he would be in any melee that could happen, nodded at his assistants on the floor. A sort of whining growl permeated through the room as the room seemingly vibrated. Sephiroth readied his sword in a defensive stance, knowing that his two friends were mirroring his movements.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Energy level at sixty percent!” called out one of the scientists on the floor.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The vibrations seemed to rise in octaves that were starting to bother Sephiroth’s ears as he saw it was getting harder to see because of what he initially thought was smoke until he noticed that the mist was lighter in color and smelled of water vapor and ozone. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘It’s going to be difficult to see in this fog,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> Sephiroth thought, hiding deep how he didn’t mind the added difficulty in the possible coming fight. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘I hate the riverfront this time of year,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> Ami thought with a frown as she started to apply the brakes, </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘always so much blessed fog. I swear, I can get into a wreck by crashing into something I didn’t see.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She slammed on the brakes and went into a full skid the moment that she felt her ears pop and had what felt like a vertigo attack as the fog grew too dense to see. She felt like she and her motorcycle was pulled in a new direction as she clung to the skidding machine. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘Not again. Please not another horrible wreck.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sephiroth and the rest of the room knew when the machine fired off by the sound of a sudden blast of crackling energy followed by the squeal of tires which went in Angeal’s direction. Suddenly, the sounds of the machine stopped with what sounded like a small explosion followed by Hojo screaming obscenities. He filed that bit of sensory input away for later enjoyment. As he approached where he’d heard the sound of squealing tires ended, the fog started to clear and part.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He saw a monster of a motorcycle and inwardly appreciated the engineering of the massive two wheeled beast that almost looked like a smaller version of his own. Its rider was dismounting the beast, revealing what looked to be a human in silhouette since he couldn’t make out any details outside of shape and the fact that they were wearing black except for a… rather colorful helmet. The profile of the helmet looked vaguely reminiscent of a feline without taking into account the large spikes of color, each spike was a different color of the rainbow. It covered the rider’s head completely. But what made the helmet completely clash with the rider’s outfit was the fact that it looked like it had been used for a graffiti artist’s canvas. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>From behind Sephiroth, Reno was also admiring the rider’s helmet. “Boss, I think I’ve got something to add to my Solstice list.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tseng merely let out a sigh as he was vaguely aware that Rude was likely rolling his eyes at Reno specifically because no one would be able to see that little detail. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The Turks watched as the rider moved to regard the approaching Sephiroth, moving so that Angeal was also in their view. The fog had dissipated enough to reveal why it had been difficult to determine anything about the mysterious rider - they wore a long coat which hid their body. Tseng could detect that the coat hid more than the rider’s body judging by the fact that it moved as if it were weighted down at multiple points. Then there was the fact that outside of the colorful helmet, the rider was dressed in all black.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Meanwhile, Ami was having a heck of a time keeping her mind straight. She’d just managed to keep her motorcycle from colliding with a sudden wall by throwing it into a very tight skid that nearly resulted in flipping sideways. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘Thank god that I was going slow,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> she thought as she dismounted her bike, realizing that the angle of light was completely wrong. In the fog, she only saw blinding whiteness, the ground, and her shadow. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘That’s not pavement.’</span>
  </em>
  <span> She heard someone talk about solstice gifts and turned in the direction of the voice. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘Holy shit. They look like Reno,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> she thought as she caught movement nearby and looked over. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘...aaaaand there’s Angeal.’</span>
  </em>
  <span> She caught him nodding off somewhere and looked over in the direction.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Oh f--- me sideways,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> she thought,</span>
  <em>
    <span> ‘not even Advent Children did him justice. So...pretty.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She could almost hear her inner fangirl scream in sheer joy and telling her to keep staring and to not look away. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘Of course I’m not looking away. He’s holding the f---ing Masamune. That thing’s gotta be longer than he’s tall, holy shit.’</span>
  </em>
  <span> She moved to keep both Angeal and Sephiroth within sight, although she found that it was difficult due to her helmet. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘I don’t think they’ll attack if I remove the helmet. And I should probably kill the tunes while I’m at it.’</span>
  </em>
  
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She reached into the pocket she usually kept her phone, the interior breast pocket. She made sure not to make any quick movements, partially to make it clear that she wasn’t doing anything threatening and partially to keep her knives from dislodging from their quick release. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘I might just need them if it comes to blows. As if they’d do anything against Masamune. However, if I play things just right, I might not get intimately acquainted with Masamune.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She slowly moved her hand to the interior breast pocket of her coat to get to her smartphone in order to kill the tunes which were beating in her head before removing her helmet. She watched as expressions slightly changed since she knew that due to her disdain for makeup of all kinds outside of lip gloss, it was likely that she’d be assumed to be a man until she spoke. It happened all the time, to her great annoyance. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘Might be able to keep the charade up if I pull a Mulan.’</span>
  </em>
  <span> She set her helmet on her bike and calmly regarded the men in the room.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She saw that even Genesis was approaching in a rather relaxed manner as the men in suits in the back merely remained, watching. She inwardly frowned at the screams and squeals of her inner fangirl until she threw that part of her in a room with inches thick steel and a nice vault door. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When the rider removed her helmet, Sephiroth saw Angeal comment by their little language of gestures. ‘Possible girl. Uncertain.’ ‘You want to approach?’ To which, Angeal merely gave a slight nod.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Are you okay?” Angeal asked, resisting the urge to assume that long hair meant feminine since he was guilty for having long-ish hair and one of his best friends had hair which was luxuriously long. He knew it wouldn’t be a good look if he misgendered someone on the basis of hair length.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I seem to be in one piece,” the rider responded in a calm manner which made him draw parallels to Sephiroth, which could entirely be due to the coat and black clothing. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Angeal inwardly frowned, hearing the rider’s voice hitting a timbre which was within range of either gender. They certainly weren't going to make it easy on him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And that’s as close as either of you gonna come,” the rider said, their arms moving in a fluid way moments before a pair of knives were in their hands.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He knew that it was likely that the rider had noticed the length of Masamune and wanted to be outside the range of any sharp objects, not that he’d blame them. He was aware of Sephiroth nodding and stopping where he was, trusting that if the rider became violent, he would be able to defend himself.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“My name is Angeal and my friends over there are Sephiroth and Genesis,” he said, wanting to keep things calm and diplomatic, likely the same reasons he knew he was considered the ‘team mom’. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tseng was aware that when the rider’s knives came out, Reno bristled and became a bit more businesslike. He saw Rude speak to him through their gesture based Turk language. ‘Turk potential.’ He studied the rider, seeing the relaxed but guarded energy. They were in a position that was defensive but with the pretense of being loose and relaxed and non threatening until the knives came out. Now the rider was in a more clearly defensive position while still being vaguely loose and relaxed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Nice to meetcha,” the rider said, nodding towards the three SOLDIERs, “so whatcha planning to do to me? Doubt you yanked me here just to say ‘hi’.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>‘Reminds me of Reno,’ Tseng motioned at Reno, ‘Screams trouble.’</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>‘But also calm like Sephiroth. Calm troublemaker.’</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>‘Heartbreaker if female.’</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>‘Pretty enough to be heartbreaker regardless.’</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re going to be the scientists’ newest specimen,” he heard Sephiroth say in a calm manner.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Any other commentary between Tseng and Rude died as they felt the shift in the room’s energy and their attention focused on the scene unfolding. The rider took up a more clearly defensive position, much of their muscles hidden under the loose coat so as not to betray all the slight movements which usually gave away potential movements. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Over my dead body,” the rider said before lunging towards Sephiroth.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ami knew that it was suicide to lunge at him, which was exactly what she was aiming for. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘I refuse to allow myself to become Hojo’s plaything.’</span>
  </em>
  <span> She changed the way she gripped her knives, changing so that she wasn’t holding them like she was about to throw them. She felt her knives meet the sword before the sound registered.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Gladly,” he responded, flinging her back in a similar manner as she’d done in her earlier fight.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As she felt her boots skid along the smooth floor, she changed her grip on her knives so she could throw them at him. As she expected, he batted the two knives out of the air in a fluid motion that was efficient in movement. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘No wasted movement, conserving his energy. This’ll be a fun scuffle.’</span>
  </em>
  <span> She moved to grab hands full of her favorite throwing daggers from the interior pockets of her coat, flinging them four at a time at him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Angeal moved out of the way of the one on one tussle between the rider and Sephiroth, moving so he could both cover the exit and converse with Genesis. ‘Fights like a Turk,’ Genesis motioned. ‘Or a badly trained ninja,’ Angeal responded with a small motion. ‘He’s playing,’ Genesis motioned as Sephiroth stood his ground and batted away the knives with his sword as if he were playing some sort of sport. ‘He’s been bored,’ Angeal commented back, ‘what do you expect?’</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The rider clearly ran out of knives, producing what looked to be two lengths of pipe which had a clear patina formed of layers of dried blood, revealing that these were weapons which had a lot of use. ‘Those won’t survive Masamune,’ Genesis communicated mostly with a roll of his eyes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tseng could tell that the rider’s coat moved easier since he could only guess that they’d used up almost all of the weapons hidden in it. It almost billowed around the rider’s body in ways that Sephiroth’s signature coat didn’t, likely due to the difference in materials. He could tell that the lengths of pipe she held were well used and there were small movements which told him that she was more familiar with that weapon compared to the knives. ‘Almost got more weapons on them than a Turk,’ Rude motioned. ‘Hope he leaves them alive when he’s done,’ Tseng responded with a small motion.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sephiroth was aware of how much strength to use to keep from destroying the pipes and dialed himself back. He allowed himself to smirk in amusement at how the rider picked a fight with him, likely ignorant at the fact that he was likely the strongest man in the room. He was willing to play with them until the end. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘Wonder what will happen first? Will Hojo have the Turks intrude upon our game or will the game play itself out?’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He blocked the rider’s attack, moving quickly to also block the attempted stealthy jab at his midsection that likely wouldn’t do anything but leave a bruise. He scoffed at the rider.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Is that the best you can do?” he asked in clear amusement.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ami was distracted for a split second. Her mind instantly went back to the scene in Crisis Core, reminding her of a lot of things she needed to keep in mind. Her focus wavered long enough that she felt pain coming from her left shoulder. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘He could have cut me in half with ease.’</span>
  </em>
  <span> It was enough that she leaped backwards, her mind back on the fight.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ll show you the ‘best I can do’,” she commented, her mind focusing more sharply with that not so gentle reminder that she was awake and alive and not in a dream.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘I am so gonna wind up skewered,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> a part of her mind thought as she circled around Sephiroth, looking for an opening. Of course, the silver haired man didn’t bother moving.</span>
  <em>
    <span> ‘Not surprised, considering he could have cut me to ribbons within half a second and I wouldn’t be able to stop him. This is a game to him. Momentary amusement. The moment I launch an attack, he’d be able to defend himself within mere fractions of a second. But he’d expect me to attack at his most obvious open spot. But since I know how he’d likely move, I can move in response to his movements before I can see them… least the movements I’m expecting him to make.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sephiroth knew that he wasn’t the sort to extend respect to a complete stranger within mere minutes of meeting them. The nameless rider circled him, obviously going for his back. He allowed them to think he was enough of an idiot to allow an enemy to get at his back, knowing that the moment he detected the attack, he could easily move to block. He was surprised that the rider had expected him to move quickly to block the attack and was already reacting to his movements. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘No, not reacting to my movement. </span>
  </em>
  <b>
    <em>Predicting</em>
  </b>
  <em>
    <span> my movement.’</span>
  </em>
  <span> They’d already moved away from his block and counter attack in order to connect solidly to what would have been a wide open spot if he didn’t have his legendary reflexes. He used his legendary reflexes to block the new attack, seeing that they were already moving as if they predicted his movement.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘This is an unexpected challenge. They’re better than I’d given them credit for earlier,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> he thought in great amusement.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tseng’s eyebrows were raised as he watched the melee unfold. At first, he swore that the rider had unnaturally quick reflexes in order to keep up with Sephiroth. At least until the rider had made a mistake which caused them to be flung away from the SOLDIER. It was then that he’d realized that they were predicting Sephiroth’s actions and was reacting to what they thought he would do. The fact that they were able to assess Sephiroth that well impressed him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>‘SOLDIER or Turk,’ Rude gestured, ‘would do well in either.’</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>‘Are you seeing this, guys?’ Reno gestured, merely looking at them, ‘badass right there.’</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Genesis and Angeal took a step back and to the side as the rider’s knee-high boots skidded over the smooth floor and nearly collided with them. They could hear the rider let out a grunt as they stopped skidding. The two of them exchanged a look. ‘Looks like you just might have a rival to unseat Sephiroth’s position,’ Angeal’s expression told Genesis. ‘Doubt it. He’s gonna tear them to ribbons to keep them from falling into Hojo’s hands,’ Genesis responded with a mix of expression and gesture.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sephiroth, detain them!” Hojo commanded.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ami could almost feel her blood run cold as Sephiroth regarded her in a calmly detached, utterly professional manner. It was the moment when all amusement drained from his face that she knew that playtime was over. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘It’s funny. I picked a fight with him knowing that he could cut me to literal ribbons before my nerves could fire off pain signals yet my self-preservation instincts are kicking in.’</span>
  </em>
  <span> She took a deep breath, adjusting her grip on her favored weapons. She watched him draw closer to her with no emotion on his face or eyes.</span>
  <em>
    <span> ‘Okay, one last stunt. I ain’t going down without giving as good as I get.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She lunged at him, closing the distance. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘Okay, expecting him to put enough strength into the blow to cut through the pipes. If I could make them catch just right to create enough friction…’</span>
  </em>
  <span> She blocked the blow she expected and had done it just right to launch her in the air as the pipes were cut in half. She dropped the remains of her favored weapons as she soared through the air, pulling out her last two weapons.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘May as well give you something to remember me by,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> she thought as she opened fire, aiming at Sephiroth, </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘let’s see you block this.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She wasn’t surprised to see that he’d managed to dodge the bullets completely before she’d landed. Before she could fire another round, she was aware that she’d been run through. She saw it before she could feel it, being suspended in the air by the less sharp side of the sword’s blade, giving her mind an almost amusing visual. The gun in her right hand clattered to the ground as the pain blossomed on that side. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘And I probably got the nerve severed.’</span>
  </em>
  <span> She had one last gun, the one in her left hand.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She knew that her hand was shaking, likely by the pain. She move</span>
  <em>
    <span>d it in the general direction and angle she needed as she took as deep a breath as she could. ‘Pretty sure it’s in my right lung. F--- me and f--- him.’</span>
  </em>
  <span> To which her inner fangirl screamed ‘please do’ before being hurled into a deep pit. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘Focus on the target. Nothing else exists.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She opened her eyes, her hand now steady as she lined up the shot, going for the same exact spot she was being impaled and suspended by. The usually acceptable recoil from the gun was enough to knock it out of her weakening grip.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She heard him grunt in pain before giving her an amused smirk. She was aware of being lowered to the ground and carefully laid down before hearing what sounded like Sephiroth sitting down.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Seph!” she heard Angeal shout as she saw people emerging into her vision.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We need medics here. SOLDIER down. I repeat, SOLDIER down,” she heard someone say into what she assumed to be a radio.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She was vaguely amused when she saw Genesis enter her vision before a green glow came over her and she could feel some of the pain lessening. He appeared to be amused with how his lips curled and light danced in his mako green eyes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’ll be fine,” he said gently, “gave us all quite a show. It’ll be interesting to see what they’ll do with you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Not gonna be a lab rat,” she growled out.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Shut up,” she heard Sephiroth say calmly, “or you’ll talk yourself into an early grave.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Wasn’t that the point?” she asked with a chuckle which caused her injured lung to feel like it was tearing itself anew, spurring her into a coughing fit. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She tasted blood in her mouth as her sight started to waver, darkness encroaching into the edge of her vision. She saw another glow of green wash over her, courtesy of Genesis, causing her coughing fit to end and giving her a feeling of relief as her pain seemed to fade and she started to feel cold. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘Shock. I’m going right into shock. That should be the last nail in my coffin.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Next thing she knew, she felt like she was being lifted up before being moved sideways. The last thing she was aware of is seeing what looked like boxes of fluorescent lights on a plain ceiling fly past while hearing a nasally voice swearing up a storm, clearly tearing someone a new one. And then she submitted to the darkness, greeting it like an old friend.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : : .</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Author’s Note: 1/8/21</p><p>This is the second time in a week I re-wrote this chapter, lol. So I’m back working on BtV out of boredom. I’d lost inspiration, got into another fandom, and had been working on various writing projects over the last 6 years or so. But I got back into working on BtV due to looking at it out of curiosity and THE CRINGE. So I decided to re-tool Ami’s character into someone a bit different. </p><p>I decided to allow her to have a few belongings from her home because it would be useful for the second arc. Yes, I’ve planned out a vague roadmap for BtV (which I hadn’t done) which looks more like a vague list of concepts and scenes. I’ve learned that my system is a vague map of plot points and events, just enough detail that I know the general direction but vague enough that I’m allowed some freedom. </p><p>The previous version had her be drunk, but I wanted to give her a couple of fight scenes before she gets experimented on by Hojo. One scene having her deal with a normal human and another showing her adapting to fight Sephiroth. I figured after spending almost half of her life on the streets and having been in scuffles almost her whole life, she’d have developed keen enough observational skills that would allow her to deal with enemies which would have been outside her capability to deal with. Also, he was toying her almost the entire time. As Angeal said, he was bored.</p><p>I could just see Tseng and Sephiroth discussing Ami either entering the Turks or SOLDIER, and Tseng going ‘she’d be another Reno.’ and Sephiroth going ‘another troublemaker. Great.’ I could see her getting along too well with all the troublemakers (Reno, and Zack). The three of them would cause too much mayhem. </p><p>I know that there will be a discrepancy between the dates on the A/N and upload date. This is entirely because I want to get through enough chapters that when I do start uploading them, I can upload an additional chapter so that it shows that it’s been updated. From that point, I’ll probably start uploading a new chapter once or twice a week, depending on how focused I get and how quickly I can speed through the chapters.</p><p>I admit that I’m really looking forward to the end of the first arc and the beginning of the second. By the time the first arc reaches its climax, enough will have changed that the whole story will go in its own direction and some characters will be introduced in new ways. Particularly Yuffie and Vincent. But that’s much later.</p><p>But for now, I need to focus on where I’m at, lol. </p><p>Random BtV trivia: I mostly listened to two songs while writing this: I don’t wanna be in love by Good Charlotte and Advent: One Winged Angel from Smash Bros. Ultimate. I’ll leave it up to you to guess where/when I went from one to the other though, muhahahaha.</p><p>Also: I’m adding Trigger Warnings to the beginning of chapters so as to prepare readers for potentially troubling content. If anyone sees something they feel is/could be potentially troubling, please comment and let me know. I will mention this in the next chapter’s A/N (since I’m bouncing between this and the next chapter to make sure everything’s good before hitting the next chapter in line.)</p><p>Laters!<br/>~Gregora</p><p>Next time on BtV: Trainwreck in motion and Sephiroth (and Hojo) get a glimpse at the kind of person Ami is.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. The Setting of the Board</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Sephiroth is stuck in the lab while dealing with his minor wound and is forced to overhear Hojo having a good day. </p><p>People start to form plans involving Ami as destiny appears to be twisting in new ways...</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Disclaimer: I don’t own squat except for Ami. I’m just playing in Square-Enix’s sandbox, yo. Also, I need feedback and lots of since I know I’m not perfect and if things don’t mesh or match up, I welcome advice. Anyways, on with the story!</p><p>Trigger Warning: Pain, medical stuff, blood, surgery</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Chapter Two</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>With all the pain he was feeling, he was quite amused. He’d expected her aim to have been poor enough for the shot to have gone wide or hit him in the shoulder and instead, got a bullet right in the lung. He was completely fine with such a minor injury. He figured that the bullet wouldn’t have done as much damage had he been not as close as he’d been. Or it was something to do with the weapon and bullet being from another world.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He was aware that the belt that kept his coat closed was being cut through and doubted that they’d cut the rest of the coat since he’d gotten shot where the coat hadn’t covered him. Even then, if they cut the coat, he could just obtain a replacement. It wasn’t worth his attention. What was, however, was hearing the medics talk amongst themselves.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Patient’s female,” one of the medics said following the sound of clothing being torn open.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Interesting. Never had a woman give me that kind of fight before,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> he thought in amusement, </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘hope Hojo would let us spar.’</span>
  </em>
  <span> A cold thought washed over him. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘Assuming he wouldn’t try to force us to breed. Like I’m some stud Chocobo. Ugh.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Outside of that, the medics mostly said the same things over her as they’d done over him since they were injured more or less the same way. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Once you’ve removed the bullet and stop the bleeding, I’ll take over his care,” he heard Hojo say from nearby, “and once she’s stable, I’ll also take over her care as well.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Understood, sir,” one of the medics stated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And I want as many of her belongings undamaged and brought to me. I need to analyze them,” he heard Hojo say.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘You pulled her from her world and now you’re stealing her belongings and may never give them back. As if I need more reasons to hate you, Hojo,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> he thought as he kept his sheer and utter hatred of Hojo well hidden.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sephiroth sat on the examination table, frowning at Hojo as an assistant was watching fluid drain from his chest and into a collection bag. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What were you thinking, boy?!” Hojo screamed at him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He kept the fact that he bristled at Hojo calling him ‘boy’ well hidden as he stared at the man who’d practically tortured him or facilitated his torture, depending on the day and torture. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘What I was thinking was that I was saving another life from what I’ve had to endure at your hands,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> he thought icily.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I was thinking that she was giving me a good fight,” he said, going for a lie Hojo would have preferred to hear rather than the truth which would cause things to be far more difficult than it needed to be.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Muscle brained oaf of a brute!” Hojo growled.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Which is exactly what you trained me to be, Professor,” he stated calmly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He saw it as a victory when Hojo let out a shrill cry of frustration, knowing that he couldn’t disagree with him. They both knew that he was exactly what he was trained to be, as far back as he could remember. That and an obedient specimen who allowed them to do who knows what to him. He had to push the images and phantom pains away, putting them in a box for later. Much, much later. If ever.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He was thankful that the medics had come in and distracted Hojo from further insults and ranting. He watched as they pushed a gurney into view with a figure resting on top, covered by a medical gown and blankets, her dark, wavy hair still pulled back as it had been during the fight. She had multiple bags suspended over her and he could see that there was a regen field covering her due to the faint glowing lattice over her skin. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What can you tell me?” Hojo asked the medics.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Other than she’s pretty much your standard young woman in her early twenties?” a medic responded, “she’s got O positive blood.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“At least you were able to determine her blood type,” Hojo said, his tone icy.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We were trying to save her life,” the other medic stated, “we weren’t going to vivisect her while she was bleeding out.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I suppose not,” he said, still clearly upset before a medic handed him a bag.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“This is everything that was on her person that Weapons didn’t want,” the medic stated with some clear annoyance.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘They likely know that Hojo will take them and never give them back to her,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> he thought with a frown, </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘he yanks her from her world, going to do only Gaia knows what to her, and going to keep her from her only links to her home and past. There’s certainly no limits to his depravity.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You can take her to examination table three,” he stated, motioning to a table which, to Sephiroth’s both his dismay and relief, was nearby and within his sight.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Let’s hope that you’re psychologically as much a fighter as you are physically,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> he thought as he decided that he might as well get comfortable while waiting for the inevitable next step in his ‘care’.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He heard them move the girl and then left with the gurney. He fought back the memories and trauma, knowing that he couldn’t keep her from a similar fate as his. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘There should have been only one me.’ </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Let’s see what we’re working with,” he heard Hojo say with enough glee that it made Sephiroth’s blood turn to ice.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He heard the sound of fabric being moved, likely the blanket, followed by what he knew was the medical gown being removed. One of the assistants whistled. Another slightly chuckled.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Wouldn’t have known she was female if you saw her from the waist up,” the chuckling assistant commented.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Either get yourself under control or leave,” Hojo said icily, “any further unprofessional comments before we get started?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Silence stretched on for a moment before he heard a beep, likely the voice recorder since he was aware that Hojo liked to take verbal notes while working and would later transcribe those notes and then destroy the audio files. “Subject was summoned from an unknown world. Appears to be a human female in early twenties. She was injured in an altercation with Sephiroth and required medical attention for a penetrating pulmonary injury. She is currently having the injury drained while within a regen field. Further known vitals is that she is five foot ten and has blood type O positive, resting pulse of fifty-five beats per minute, blood pressure is currently at eighty over sixty which is potentially due to the amount of fluids lost. Subject is currently receiving an intravenous mix of point nine normal saline, lactated ringers, and morphine. Morphine is being administered for both pain relief and anesthetic and appears to be working the same way.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He continued to listen in, understanding everything Hojo was saying. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Subject’s body is covered in scar tissue to the extent that suggests that the world of origin has inferior medical technology or lack of access to materia. More information will be gained shortly through a scan,” Hojo spoke before he heard another beep, which he assumed was the voice recorder turning off.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I want the two of you to run the scan on the subject while I investigate her belongings,” Hojo stated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Now this will be immensely interesting considering the size of the bag Hojo was handed,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> he thought to himself as he heard the sound which he understood as the sound of the bag being set on the table. Then he heard the bag being opened and then a dull thump. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘Coat or boots,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> he thought as he heard another beep.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Preliminary investigation of items on the subject’s person when she was summoned. Two pairs of thigh high boots. One inch flat soles and standard insoles. Material used appears to be a type of artificial leather,” Hojo said before he assumed he heard Hojo set the boots aside before another dull thud which held other sounds like there were other items. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘Must be her coat. Sounds like she was carrying other items on her.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“A long coat. Appears to be made of woven fabric and has a padded liner. Appears to be able to be buttoned closed by use of black buttons which appear to be made out of a type of plastic. Its weight suggests items within the pockets. The outside pockets appear to be nonfunctional.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Oh they had a function,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> he thought, remembering that it was where she’d stored what was clearly the weapons she’d favored, which were easily three feet long and clearly made of dense metal.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He heard a jingling sound that definitely sounded like keys and he smirked a bit to himself at the mundanity. “Inside right pocket contained what appears to be a set of five keys and… miscellaneous articles attached to the keyring are as follows. A design enclosed in transparent plastic which reads ‘there’s a ninety-nine percent chance I don’t care’.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘How amusing,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> Sephiroth thought to himself, allowing himself a small smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“A piece of black plastic attached to a ring with the words ‘just f--- right off, f---ity mcf---erson’.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘I can already see a pattern forming. If the keychains are any indication of her personality, Hojo just might have bit off more than he expected. And I’ll stand there watching,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> he thought in amusement.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Circular design enclosed in transparent plastic reads ‘in my defense I was left unsupervised.’ Another circular design enclosed in transparent plastic reads ‘I’m not stubborn … My way is just better.’ That is the contents of the keyring.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘I hope that’s an indication of her personality,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> he caught himself thinking darkly, </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘he deserves to be forced to deal with someone highly unmanageable.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Inside right pocket also held a… wallet. Likely of no consequence,’ Hojo stated, dismissively.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Inside breast pocket holds a device that appears to mirror that of the newest model of PHS. It warrants a closer look. The port on the bottom is in an unfamiliar shape, likely requiring manufacture of an adapter in order to go through the files and to charge the device,” Hojo said, setting it aside.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Inside left pocket is… what appears to be confections. Three red boxes with the label ‘Kings candy’, containing white sticks. Scent is similar to peppermint. Taste is sweet and with a trace of peppermint. Further samples will be taken for analysis.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘By ‘analysis’, you mean you’re going to eat them,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> Sephiroth thought with a frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Three and a half colorfully wrapped cylinders that reads ‘lifesavers hard candy 5 flavors’. One will be taken for sampling,” he heard Hojo say.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘So you yanked her from her world to experiment on, rummaging through her things, and now stealing candy? Has she suffered enough? You’re even going to likely destroy her PHS too. There truly is nothing beyond your deranged mind, Hojo,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> he thought sourly, </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘I hope she raises all kinds of hell.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Her pants appear to be made of woven fabric with pockets on each leg as expected as well as deeper pockets near the knee, reminiscent of standard issue SOLDIER pants. Topmost left pocket contains what appears to be a paperback book called ‘The Art of War’. There appears to be many notes inserted into the book and its state correlates to having been well used by its owner.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Now that is fascinating. Studies tactics? Wonder if it’s willing or forced,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> he thought, </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘he better give that book back. If it’s like what Loveless is to Genesis, she will fight to get it back. Although, she might already be able to quote the whole book.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His mind gave him a small flight of fancy, that of the woman and Genesis with their books open, quoting passages from their own books. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘That would be initially amusing but has the potential to be annoying. It’s bad enough getting Loveless bashed into my skull from Genesis.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Topmost right pocket holds what is clearly a leather case,” Hojo said, pausing before saying in a tone that seemed bored, “containing a rather ordinary looking harmonica. The same pocket contained a pair of earbuds.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘So, she can handle herself in most fights, appears to potentially have a headstrong personality, has a proclivity for sweets, rides a motorcycle with some semblance of skill, studies tactics to the point of leaving notes, and has an appreciation for music,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> he mused, </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘based on her movements, she’s familiar with at least one type of martial art. Sounds interesting.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Professor, we’ve found something interesting,” he heard one of the assistants say before Hojo could continue.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What is it?” Hojo asked, clearly rushing over, sounding far too eager.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“She appears to be completely human except that it appears that some of her left femur has partially been replaced by a metal piece screwed directly to the bone at her hip. There’s some damage to the hip sockets as well. There’s also signs of multiple fractures. It all looks like her body was allowed to heal naturally,” the assistant said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He couldn’t help but to frown, almost mentally picturing the kind of pains she’d suffered already. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘If she survived all that, I can’t imagine Hojo would be any worse physically speaking.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Surprisingly enough, it appears as though the worst organ damage we could find was the wound she suffered earlier today,” the assistant stated, “but what’s exceedingly fascinating is her brain.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“How so?” Hojo asked, now very excited.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Compared to this world’s average, her brain appears to be more symmetrical. There’s also more folding occurring in what appears to be the left parietal and temporal lobes. Also what appears to be her hippocampus is slightly enlarged. However, what appears to be her amygdala is smaller than average. Her cerebellum is also smaller. Also, it appears as though her brain might be starting to shrink prematurely.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Interesting,” Hojo stated with the closest to glee he’d ever heard in Hojo’s voice, “it appears that we might have to observe her in order to see how these differences play out. But for the time being, I want to see what happens if we remove the metal pieces screwed into her femur and expose her to curative magic.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He frowned, hating and enjoying the fact that he was ignored. While it meant that he was left in peace, it also meant that he was practically forced to overhear what Hojo was doing to an innocent life. His PHS buzzed, pulling him from his thoughts. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>How are you doing? -A</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He smiled, knowing that his friends were thinking about him. He couldn’t wait until he was let go.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Waiting for the blood to drain out of my lung and am forced to overhear him go through rider’s things and what they found scanning her. I’ll share later. -S</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Within moments, his PHS buzzed twice as he got two messages almost at the same time.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Rider’s a girl? -A</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Women tend to prefer a date before having swords in them. ;) -G</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He glared at Genesis’ message. He could just hear Genesis say that as if he were right next to him. Only Genesis would make a comment like that.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Know how long until H lets you free? -A</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>I hope it’s soon. It’s unpleasant hearing things r n. -S</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Professor, it appears as though Sephiroth is ready,” one of the assistants said after checking up on him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You know what to do. Remove the draining tube and hit him with a Cure,” Hojo stated, “then he’ll be free to go.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The assistant gave him a nod in greeting, which he returned as he sat up from the examination table and prepared himself for what was coming. To his surprise, the assistant was gentle about it, unlike Hojo would have been and cast Cure on him once the tube was out. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“There you go,” the assistant said with a small smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thank you,” he said with the barest of smiles before striding out, trying not to make it look like he was fleeing.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You wished to see me, Heidegger?” Shinra asked from his desk.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He gave the Executive a raised eyebrow, prompting the man to speak.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“How much did you observe of Hojo’s experiment earlier today, sir?” Heidegger asked with a small smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Enough that this mysterious being was able to give Sephiroth quite the tussle. Too bad, it was simply because he wasn’t taking the fight seriously and got wounded for his pride,” Shinra said with a frown, “I’ve got a report from Hojo. The individual in question appears to be a human female in her early twenties. Roughly the same age as he is.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“She could be an asset,” Heidegger said, “I’ve got Veld and Lazard fighting each other over her if they could pry her from Hojo.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“A female SOLDIER?” Shinra asked with a bit of a scoff.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Some of my best Turks are female,” Heidegger said, “if she comes out of whatever Hojo has planned with minimal damage to her faculties, she might be a formidable SOLDIER, assuming that she is trained by the best. Even if she’s almost too old to enter.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s most likely that she’d be a better match in SOLDIER, considering what Hojo’s planning on putting her through,” Shinra said with a frown, “we’ll see what state she’s in after she recovers.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ll inform Lazard. Is there a specific individual you wish to train her?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I think a student-mentor relationship may be just what is needed to ensure that Sephiroth doesn't get too bored and should </span>
  <span>give him more reasons to stay in line and encourage more loyalty from him. It’s done wonders with Angeal.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“If I may be so bold, but I doubt Hojo is going to be happy about us taking away his newest toy before he gets to break it in,” Heidegger said with a smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Leave Hojo to me. He usually shuts up when I provide him additional grant money.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sephiroth poked a bit at his salad, not liking the fact that an innocent life was going through who knows what at Hojo’s hands. He didn’t need to look at Angeal to know that the older man would have a concerned expression.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Do you need to talk, Seph?” Angeal asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I probably do,” he said with a frown, still staring at his food, “I feel like I’ve consigned an innocent to suffer at Hojo’s hands the same way I’ve suffered.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You tried and that’s the important thing to focus on,” Angeal said, “and if she’s going through what you have, then it means that at some point, she’ll have some amount of freedom, right?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Angeal’s right, sometimes you gotta look for the silver lining,” Zack said cheerfully.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He chuckled to himself before smiling a tiny bit, feeling a bit better, “silver lining, huh?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So what did the rider have on them?” Genesis asked, “that’s a good way to know about a person.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Some of it’s actually quite mundane,” he said with a slight chuckle, “keys, wallet, PHS, sweets, a worn book called ‘The Art of War’, harmonica, earbuds.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That is fairly mundane,” Zack stated, “some of that are the kinds of things everyone carries on them.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“She had some… interesting things on her keyring by what I’ve heard,” he said with a smile before regaling his friends with what he’d heard Hojo read out.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I hope she does find herself as free as you are,” Genesis said with a smile, leaning back in his chair, “she sounds like she’d fit into our little group. She definitely has the fighting skill.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Wonder where they’ll assign her provided that she's not permanently kept in the labs,” Sephiroth mused before his PHS rang. He gave his friends a glance before answering.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Lazard,” he heard the caller say, “it appears that you’re being tapped to mentor an unwilling recruit.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Does this have something to do with today’s assignment?” he asked lightly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It appears to be the case. Once Hojo releases her, she will be entering SOLDIER as your student. I regret to inform you that since she’s an unwilling recruit, you’re expected to keep her on a tight leash and under your supervision.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He didn’t like the implication, but allowed it to slide.</span>
  <em>
    <span> ‘At least it means that she’ll have someone to talk to who has gone through similar at Hojo’s hands.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Understood,” he stated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hojo will inform you when it’s time for you to collect your student,” Lazard stated, “good luck with the first female SOLDIER.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>With that, the call ended and he closed his PHS and slid it back into his pocket.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Good news?” Angeal asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It appears that our mysterious rider is to be my student, as the first female SOLDIER,” Sephiroth stated with a slight frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So she will be joining us after all,” Genesis said, completely amused.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Now all we need is to get Genesis a student,” Zack stated with a grin.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He <strong>is</strong> going to be the odd one out before too long,” Angeal admitted with a smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t think so. I’m good,” Genesis responded with a smile, “keeping up with Sephy here takes up more time than you think, Angeal.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“How many times do I have to tell you that I don’t appreciate that nickname?” he asked, giving Genesis a glare, knowing that it was done in a way that said that he was only mostly joking.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Zack, it’s moving,” an angelic voice echoed through the lifestream, catching his attention as he saw what she was talking about as a black blur rushed past him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t like where it’s going,” he responded as he gave chase, “we might not be able to count on Cloud to deal with it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Maybe we can make some new friends,” Aerith said, following him as they chased after the darkened bit within the lifestream.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Here’s to hoping,” Zack responded, “say, does time even matter here?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Not at all. Some sections stretch and surface in points in what we would have considered the past from the perspective of when we died,” Aerith responded as the three of them noticed something.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was like the Lifestream shuddered and something felt wrong. Zack couldn’t help but to give Aerith a glance.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Something’s changed,” a voice familiar to Zack said with a deep frown as a familiar figure joined in the chase, “it’s like time is being re-written.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>From ahead the three of them, they could hear maniacal, gleeful laughter.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We just might have to interfere ourselves,” Zack said, giving his mentor a frown, “you cool with that?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Someone needs to stop him and if we can’t rely on Cloud, it leaves us,” Angeal said with a frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I just know that he was one of your best friends.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He was. But considering that he’s nothing but a twisted reflection of his former self, I’d be doing him a favor,” Angeal said with a frown, “it’d be the honorable thing to do.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"It may not come to that," Aerith said suddenly, "Minerva has spoken to Terra about the situation."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Who's talking to who?" Zack asked, puzzled.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Minerva is the soul of The Planet where the Lifestream is its blood. She has come up with a plan with one of her sisters," Aerith said, "but we may still be needed to warn the right people."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>In a cave out in the middle of nowhere, a crystal appeared to be melting as Mako pooled around it. Within moments, all that was left of the crystal was a pool of Mako and a woman. She let out a sigh and a mixed expression. Her waking nightmare had changed.</span>
  <em>
    <span> ‘If my visions were of the future, then something must have changed to alter events. If that hypothesis holds, then maybe, just maybe, I can do something to cement this alteration. Maybe I can atone for all of my mistakes.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : : .</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Author’s Note: 1/14/21</p><p>So I got all the way to Chapter 7 before I decided to go back and edit things, mostly adding details and a scene and change some things that didn’t fit. </p><p>So what did I change? I added the whole scene from Sephiroth’s perspective where he gets treated for his wound and is forced to hear Hojo going through the things Ami had, which wasn’t all the things. I figured that this would be a good balance between the original version and the revision before this one. </p><p>I also added the scene involving dinner with the guys. It was something I decided on ages ago and in a future chapter that it made no sense that with the bond between Zack and Angeal, Angeal not having brought Zack along to hang with his besties even if it’s mostly off duty. I understand it was done because of story, but it just didn’t mesh well with the characters in my opinion. The three friends more or less see Zack as the mascot of their little group, lol.</p><p>Also, I just love writing the guys. They’re a blast with Genesis poking at Sephiroth (all in good fun), Zack being the huge ray of sunshine, and Angeal going ‘this is my circus and these are my monkeys. And puppy.’ I see Angeal being both the disciplinarian (trope: Team Dad) plus the emotional center (trope: Team Mom). He’s definitely the one everyone goes to for advice (Sephiroth goes to him for a lot of emotional advice because he wasn’t trained to handle emotional stuff so he’s kind of a wreck/stunted in that way).</p><p>Another change is that I cut the original second chapter in half, which means I’ve just added a whole new chapter, lol. Woot.</p><p>Also, had to add in the tiny pieces of plot that is just dangling about. Most of the dangling plot is setup for the Second Major Arc which starts with a section/scene my squirrel of a brain had me write already called ‘The Price of Freedom’ so have fun preparing for that. :D And that’s all the spoiler I’m giving.</p><p>Random BtV trivia: There are 3 Major Arcs planned with a different number of Sub Arcs within them. This is the first Major Arc which has three Sub Arcs. Or two, depending on how you separate stages of the story. I’ve also written the scene that goes from Sub Arc two to three. </p><p>Laters!<br/>~Gregora</p><p>Next time on BtV: Ami breaks out! Escape from the Shinra Building!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. The Daring Escape Part 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Ami discovers that she's developed an ability due to Hojo's experimentation on her before she escapes the lab while Sephiroth watches.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Disclaimer: I don’t own squat except for Ami. I’m just playing in Square-Enix’s sandbox, yo. Also, I need feedback and lots of since I know I’m not perfect and if things don’t mesh or match up, I welcome advice. Anyways, on with the story!</p><p>Trigger Warning: child abuse/neglect, bullying, blood, and animal abuse.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Chapter Three</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ami felt like she was drifting in a void, like she was submerged in something. Just drifting as she felt what she swore was acid running through her veins as her right side of her chest ached. Her left shoulder was a pinprick of pain compared to the two bigger sources of pain and misery. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘I coulda sworn the afterlife would be far more pleasant than this.’</span>
  </em>
  <span> She fought to open her eyes. The brightness made her flinch as it overwhelmed her. Before she closed her eyes, she was able to make out light green lab coats. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘I thought lab coats were white…’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Before her brain could go down any troublesome paths of thought, she succumbed to sweet oblivion. And she found herself dreaming.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She was curled up on ratty old blankets that stank, surrounded by darkness. She was safe in the dark. In the dark, no one could see her. She heard voices from far away, shouting. She wished she could ignore them, that she could force her brain to not pick out every word and analyze their meaning. But the words came, drilling into her brain, forcing her to listen. Forcing her to care.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t see why you don’t get rid of that… </span>
  <em>
    <span>thing</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” said a feminine voice.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Mommy… I’m not a thing… I’m Ami…’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A heavy sigh before a deep voice said, “we all must carry our responsibilities. I know you didn’t ask for her, but until I can get her sent off, I must bear mine. It’s just for a little while longer.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘...they don’t want me…’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The dream changed. The car she was in had stopped. She looked out the window, seeing the public school and let out a sigh as she climbed out of the car. She’d been told what to expect and do. Once she was out of the car with her backpack and had closed the car door, the car sped away, leaving her on the sidewalk. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘Can’t be worse than being home,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> she remembered thinking.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Then came images, snapshots. The other kids taking whatever they wanted from her backpack and desk, with no regard of whether she was aware of it or not. Her parents screaming at her that she couldn’t properly take care of a single pencil properly. How she was greeted one morning before class by her classmates telling her that she should be dead because someone with her same exact first name had been found dead. How she’d cry that she couldn’t bring books to recess or spend recess reading. How she’d just sit in the grass and wait for recess to end only to have some boy she hadn’t seen before in her life walk right up to her and punched her in the eye and how she couldn’t see out of it for hours and then got screamed at for allowing someone to give her a bruise which would make the school think she’d been abused, and… and… and.. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And then she found herself walking down the streets of her childhood, everything looking much bigger than she knew they were. She hefted her backpack to readjust the weight on her shoulders. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘I doubt they’ll miss me if I disappear.’</span>
  </em>
  <span> She heard the sounds of a scuffle in a nearby street and smirked. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘Let’s see what’s going on.’</span>
  </em>
  <span> She strode on over, seeing teenagers in an all-out brawl. She hadn’t bothered to enter the melee until she saw someone do the one thing that would always set her off. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Some punk pulled out a baseball bat and wandered away from the melee. The punk crouched down and crept to a truck that she knew she didn’t have a chance climbing into without assistance. He pulled out a small furry body from under the truck and tossed it in the air like a ball. She heard the crack of the bat and a heart wrenching cry. The body flew through the air, landing on the pavement only a handful of feet ahead of her. It hit the ground like a ragdoll as she ran for the body. She saw it just laying there as she stopped at it. She fell onto her knees and reached out to the small furry body and gently touched it, hoping to feel something. All she felt was the body growing cold. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Interesting,” she heard a deep voice say, not belonging in the memory as she wept over the small furry body, “a dream or a memory?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re not part of this,” she said as her dream fractured, allowing her to experience the dream/memory as both her younger self and her current self, her current self standing near the source of the voice which didn't belong.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She was now seeing it from the perspective of the memory and as an observer of the dream, watching her younger self launch herself into the melee. She glanced over to the voice, seeing Sephiroth simply standing there, watching the dream. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You must be far enough,” he mused, “but they usually don’t perceive me like this.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“They?” she asked with a frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re being turned into a SOLDIER,” he said with a slight frown, “from what I’ve been able to tell, you’re shaping up to be more like me than everyone else considering that you’re not just receiving but sending as well.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Is that a good thing or a bad thing,” she asked with a frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It could be both,” he stated evenly as he started walking down the street to keep an eye on events, obviously curious as he took in the sights, “My turn to ask you a question. Why did what happened to that kitten bother you?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Because it was helpless. Because it was unwanted. Because it was cruel and wrong,” she said quietly, “because I’m just as unwanted as that kitten was.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She closed her dream-eyes and let out a sigh, seeing his reaction of curiosity. She interrupted him before he could speak. “We are not having that conversation. Even if you’re just a figment of my mind.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She glared at him as she saw his sheer amusement at being called a figment of her mind in how his eyebrows raised and the corners of his mouth moved slightly upwards. He probably would have said more but the dream pulled that portion of her back into her memory. She got kicked in the chest, the impact knocking breath out of her before gunshots rang out. She stared at her attacker, her sight becoming too vibrant, too focused. She moved her hands from her chest, seeing red on her hands, covering her fingers. Seeing blood. She collapsed, seeing her attacker getting mobbed and almost literally torn apart. A car pulled up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Get in! Get in! Cops are enroute!” she heard a deep voice shout.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sir, they shot a kid!” she heard someone shout.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A car door opening followed by that earlier deep voice command, “take the car and go.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He came into view, what her kid-mind had considered an old man. An old man with kind, but hard eyes. He knelt down, pressing something to her chest.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey there,” he said gently, “what’s your name, kiddo?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ami,” she wheezed weakly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, Ami, you’re very brave,” he said kindly, “you know that? You’re a brave girl and you’re going to be just fine. Just focus on me, okay?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She nodded weakly before choking out the word, “hurts.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Bullets do that, you know,” the man said gently before the sirens came.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The dream faded, leaving only her and Sephiroth. She kept the next dream, the next memory from coming, staring at him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That was certainly something,” he said in an amused manner, “was that the world you came from?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She nodded, frowning at the fact that she had someone in her mind, watching her memories and dreams. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It almost looks… ordinary. Like it could have been anywhere on Gaia with some alterations,” he said with a small smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Why are you here? Watching my life like it’s some sort of show?” she asked with a frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I felt a new mind and I always check to see who it is. I got even more curious as to how you were able to detect my presence,” he said with a small smile, “I have an idea as to just that.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So do I,” she responded, crossing her arms in front of herself, “could be a fluke of biology. My body reacting to things in a way that makes me more similar to you than to the garden variety SOLDIER.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Not the way I would have phrased it, but it appears that we share a hypothesis,” he said with a nod, “and since you’ve objected multiple times to my presence, I will take my leave.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After he disappeared, there came a whisper, just on the edge of her mind. She had to focus to hear.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re not unwanted, dear child,” she heard the whisper, “I can show you what it’s like to be wanted, to be loved. I can be the mother you’ve always wanted.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The whisper sent a chill down her spine. She didn’t like the feel of this presence and was willing to bet who it was.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Who are you?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You could call me ‘Mother’, if you want,” the whisper almost purred, “but many call me Jenova.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I will never call you anything but ‘monster’,” she growled at the whisper, “I refuse to allow whatever your plans are to succeed. I will stop you, Jenova.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Somehow, I doubt that. Your presence has changed my plans and you won’t expect it. I await the day when you submit to me and my love for you. Until then…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She was suddenly aware of everything. The too bright light, the tasteless air being fed to her, the weird feeling of being submerged, and the appearance of people in green lab coats. She looked all over her, turning her head, seeing what looked to be IV lines running into both arms, which felt like they were on fire. IV lines full of some sort of glowing red liquid that looked different from blood in ways she couldn’t describe. Considering how her neck and legs also felt like they were also burning something fierce, she was convinced that there were similar lines running there as well. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Now I know how Mewtwo felt,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> Ami thought with a frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Moments later, she felt some sort of weird sensation. It was like someone was poking her but not physically, followed by an emotion of pure confusion and puzzlement. Then words seemed to materialize in her mind as if she thought them, but she knew she didn’t. It didn’t even feel like her own thoughts. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘What </span>
  </em>
  <span>are</span>
  <em>
    <span> you going on about?’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Just a character from a story,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> she mentally sent towards the familiar mental voice, sounding much like Sephiroth from her dream. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘A clone of another being. They grew to hate humanity because all the humans around them treated them like an experiment or a weapon. They later learned that not all humans were cruel and went off to find a place in the world for themself.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She heard the mental equivalent of a scoff as she took a more detailed inventory of her physical state. Outside of feeling acid in her veins and that she was submerged in some sort of viscous goo she was willing to guess was mako, she felt like she hadn’t nearly died by way of impalement. She couldn’t stop the mental image that came, the memory of the two times Sephiroth had impaled Cloud with Masamune and held him up in the air.</span>
  <em>
    <span> ‘What was that?’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She shoved the images away with a frown, mentally swearing that he’d seen that. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘What was what?’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘You just showed me two scenes where I’m impaling someone. Which has not happened with that individual,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> he responded with clear apprehension.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Just a… show, story, video game, from my world. My mind must have inserted you in the place of the villain because that’s what you did to me,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> she responded, hoping that he accepted that bit of partial truth.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘A villain from… media… of your world has a weapon eerily similar to Masamune?’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘I don’t want to have this conversation right now,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> she thought at him, not knowing how he’d handle things.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Very well,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> she heard the thought before it felt like a door had been closed or he’d hung up on her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sephiroth sighed with a frown as his PHS rang. He hoped that it was a summons to get reassigned, hopefully where he wasn’t so bored waiting for something to happen in between training sessions. He opened it up and looked at the screen. Angeal and Genesis obviously noticed his expression changed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You don’t have to answer it if you don’t want to,” Angeal said lightly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘If only I had that amount of freedom,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> he thought as he moved to take the call.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Not with that attitude, you won’t,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> he heard Ami say in his mind, not bothering to respond. It didn’t matter to him right now. He frowned as he took the call, having regretted taking the call long before he pressed the answer button.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re past due for your quarterly physical,” a nasally voice said, “I expect you in five minutes.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The call ended before he could even respond and he spared a small glare at his PHS before closing it up and putting it back in his pocket.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hopefully, I’ll see the two of you later,” he said with the closest to a frown he was willing to show.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Let us know if you need anything,” Angeal said in his usually responsible and earnest way.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You don’t have to mother us, Angeal,” Genesis commented with a chuckle.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Maybe I wouldn’t if the two of you didn’t act like kids half the time,” Angeal said warmly with some affection and a smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sephiroth merely let out a quiet chuckle, which he knew sounded like a scoff to most who didn’t spend much time around him. He gave his friends a slight nod before turning around to head towards the elevators.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Seph,” Angeal called out before he took a step away, causing him to hesitate long enough to hear what Angeal had to say. “Remember what we talked about.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>With that, he strode towards the elevators. He’d had far too much practice keeping his face a mask while whole storms of emotions brewed, played themselves out, and passed. He had to. Then there was this whole thing about this new voice, which he’d figured out rather quickly that it was the rider, Ami. He’d managed to block her out from hearing all of his thoughts with the mental image of a wall and had managed to share the same information with her. He was passingly amused to see her almost immediately do just that with only minor instruction.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But what bothered him was how. How could she communicate like him so quickly? He pondered the puzzle as he went over what he did know about his most unique ability he’d never shared with anyone before she somehow gained the same ability. He was able to glean surface thoughts of SOLDIERs and occasionally, had managed to exert minor control over them. He preferred to listen and make suggestions rather than completely controlling them. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘After all, I know how it feels to have no control.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Which meant that she must have gone through the same process as those who enter SOLDIER, likely to see how her body would deal with it. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘After all, mako may only exist here…’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Before he could ponder more over things behind the brick wall he’d built up, the elevator doors opened onto the Science floor. He forced himself to walk right to where Hojo’s main lab was, seeing that the main Mako pod was in use and saw Ami in it. Her long, curling dark hair which had been pulled into a simple ponytail when they’d met was gone as it was clear that Hojo or his assistants had shaved her head, leaving bare scalp. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Hello,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> he thought at her as he walked by, seeing her eyes open the moment he’d thought the word at her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘I don’t suppose you’re here to launch a rescue,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> he heard her mental voice say, clearly not expecting him to do anything other than walk by.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘It’s about time Hojo got a new toy to play with. You’re doing me a favor by distracting him from me and you appear to be doing a great job,’ </span>
  </em>
  <span>he'd sent, knowing what her future was and wanting to see how she'd react if he kept the information regarding her future to himself.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘And they called </span>
  </em>
  <b>
    <em>me</em>
  </b>
  <em>
    <span> cold. I clearly have more standards than you do. If I were in your shoes, I wouldn’t want anyone to suffer like this.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘If you were in my shoes, you’d know and understand why I won’t interfere. And it’s got nothing to do with standards and everything to do with survival. Don’t take it to mean I’m particularly happy with your situation, however. I did, in fact, try to prevent you from having to deal with Hojo.'</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As he forced himself into a sitting position on the examination table, all he could mentally hear was quite the collection of curses and swears. She clearly had quite the lexicon when it apparently came to insults and the like. He was amused by the torrent of such things coming from her when he realized that she wasn’t repeating herself at all. He watched as Hojo was about to reach him but got pulled over to the mako pod by an assistant moments before he heard the sounds which meant that said piece of equipment was about to fail spectacularly. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And it did. It failed with a loud crunch as the clear front shattered, causing mako to flow out and cover the floor. More loud crunches and he could see her shaven head poke out as she climbed out.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What have you done?!” Hojo demanded.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I wanted out and no one listened,” she merely said, “I kept knocking. No one seemed to care so I got tired waiting.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Because you’re not ready! Who knows what’ll happen to you now that you interrupted a vital procedure!” Hojo nearly screamed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I know what would have happened if I didn’t,” she responded lightly, “I would have died of boredom.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No one has ever died of boredom,” Hojo said with a frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I find that hard to believe. With how little you gave me to do in this thing, it’s a miracle I hadn’t already died of boredom, thus proving that a person can indeed die of boredom,” she said as she pulled herself out of the tubelike pod, not caring if she cut her feet open on the broken shards nor of the fact that she was completely naked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He could tell that her emotional state hadn’t changed from when he’d entered the lab. She was clearly scanning the room, figuring out how many people were there, their positions, the exits, and if there were any hiding spots. And doing so in a way that he caught on quick. Especially since she was quietly prodding some of the information from his own mind before he did the equivalent of a slap, just hard enough to give her pause.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘You do not have my permission,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> he thought at her, making sure she knew he was displeased.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘The only thing I’m sorry for is that I got caught,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> she mentally responded, which irked him, not that he’d show it. He was used to not showing his emotions.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Fine,” Hojo said with a sigh before motioning to one of his underlings, “take her to the--”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Byeee!” she interrupted just as she started to run, seeing her clear opening as he merely sat on the examination table.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He didn’t know how much of what she did was a product of whatever Hojo had done to her, but she was agile and managed to duck and weave around the scientists before practically leaping out the door, using her mako-wet feet and the mako-covered floor to her advantage.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What are you doing, just sitting there, boy!” Hojo screamed at him as he stared at the screaming scientist.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Inside the sanctuary of his mind, he was laughing uproariously at Hojo’s misfortune. At the same time, SOLDIERs all over Midgar found themselves chuckling and feeling vaguely amused for no reason, even the ones who were having a bad time. Outwardly, he gave Hojo a slight raised eyebrow.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You requested my presence for my quarterly physical,” he said evenly, inwardly amazed by how well he hid his own amusement, “you never told me to stop her or give chase.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hojo screamed, his hands stretched out to the heavens, radiating frustration. Deep down in the sanctuary of his mind, for the first time in a long while, he felt victorious at seeing Hojo in such a state. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Go chase her and capture her!” Hojo exclaimed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I suggest you speak to Director Heidegger and put in a request through him and hope that he taps Director Lazard for SOLDIERs to go hunting. In all likelihood, Turks will be assigned instead. You are not in charge of me, Hojo,” he said, feeling rather quite happy with the whole event.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘And I’d rather die than let you be in charge of me ever again.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : : .</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Author’s Note: 1/8/21</p><p>Done two chapters in one day, but in my defense, I’d had tasty chai with a shot of espresso this morning that I’d nursed over hours, and a good portion had been written earlier. </p><p>I went over and added more dots to my roadmap and realized that things are going to be very, very interesting at a certain point. It’s going to be a beautiful mess of everyone’s goals and plans crash together. Technically, that’s going to start near the end of arc one. </p><p>I hope no one minded that I added trigger warnings to chapters, because as someone who’s going through therapy for the pile of trauma I’ve been through, I know how nice it is when I know to expect things that could set off my trauma. I’m mildly uncomfortable over the fact that some of Ami’s memories actually happened to me (just the school stuff, I was blessed to have at least one parent who loved and wanted me - rest in peace Dad).</p><p>Random bit of trivia: I started BtV not long after I’d beaten Crisis Core, while I was in a DV shelter, five months and some change before my Dad passed away. A lot of life happened while I was working on it and a lot of life happened in the 11 years since my unplanned hiatus.</p><p>Laters!<br/>~Gregora</p><p>Next time on BtV: Ami’s daring escape from Shinra HQ! How will she enjoy her newfound freedom?</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. The Daring Escape Part 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Ami makes it to the SOLDIER floor and finds a Third Class uniform in the locker room and decides to disguise herself. Sephiroth torments her a bit.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Disclaimer: I don’t own squat except for Ami. I’m just playing in Square-Enix’s sandbox, yo. Also, I need feedback and lots of since I know I’m not perfect and if things don’t mesh or match up, I welcome advice. Anyways, on with the story!</p><p>Trigger Warning: [None that I could find]</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Chapter Four</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘I just need to keep going. Keep running,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> she thought to herself as she bolted down the stairs two at a time, thinking that her thoughts were deep enough that Sephiroth couldn’t hear.</span>
  <em>
    <span> ‘He could easily be tapped to lead the recovery operation and I don’t want to make it easy on him.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘I can still hear you,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> a trail of thought entered her head on a wisp of deep amusement, nearly causing her to fall down the stairs rather than just barely making the two-step stride which would have been easier if her legs were just another inch or two longer. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘Your thoughts are quite loud.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Just how long have you been listening in?’</span>
  </em>
  <span> she thought at him with a frown as she saw a sign telling her that the next door would be the SOLDIER floor.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Since you debated between the stairs and what you called the ‘death trap’,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> came the very, very amused reply.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘You’re lucky that you’re not within my reach,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> she thought as she cooked up a plan, hoping that he couldn’t hear it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Oh? Do I want to know what you’d do to me?’</span>
  </em>
  <span> came the too amused reply, </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘and if that idea of yours actually works, then I will be astounded.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘I swear, the next time I see you, I will punch you in your too pretty for this world face,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> she bristled as she opened the door and glanced down both ways of the corridor.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘And you think you’d be successful?’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘You’re only a few inches taller than I am,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> she thought as she mentally pulled up the map of the floor from the games. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘If the lockers are at that spot, I might be able to get some clothes and gear there.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She felt a strand of curious dismay which told her plenty as she made a break for it. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘You don’t see me, you don’t see me,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> she repeated, hoping that whatever psychic ability which allowed her and Sephiroth to communicate also worked on other SOLDIERs, as Sephiroth had more or less told her. She almost panicked as a couple of Thirds walked past, deep in conversation and she passively looked into their thoughts and saw that they didn’t even notice the naked woman who walked past them. She continued her transmission of</span>
  <em>
    <span> ‘don’t notice me, there’s nothing to notice, nothing important’</span>
  </em>
  <span> until she made it to the lockers, which were in the same spot to her relief and dismay. She opened all of the lockers and took stock of what was inside.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She was mildly amused to find a complete SOLDIER Third Class uniform, if she remembered the games well enough, complete with helmet, a few bottles which were labeled ‘potion’, and what looked to be a small travel sized bar of soap. She was tempted to just throw the clothes on, but knew that reeking of mako was likely going to give her away. She looked about the locker area before her eyes saw a sign for showers. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘Makes sense for a locker room type area to have showers. Hopefully, I can keep it up just long enough to take a quick shower and wash the stuff off and change.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Let’s see how far you can get. Hojo’s on the phone with Heidegger right now,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> she heard Sephiroth mentally say as she quickly ducked into a shower stall, leaving her uniform on a nearby shelf just outside the stall.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘And you’re helping me…? Why?’</span>
  </em>
  <span> she thought, narrowing her eyes as she moved as quickly as she could.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Amusement,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> he responded lightly, </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘I’ve never seen Hojo so apoplectic before. The angrier he becomes, the more amusement I get.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘I thought you were above pettiness,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> she thought in amusement.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A short time later, she’d dried herself off with a towel she’d found in the stall and slipped into the uniform. She smirked to herself as she noticed that it fit better than she hoped, more on the looser side, which she was more comfortable with. She slid the helmet over her shaved head, relishing the feeling of warmth rather than a continual cold from the still unfamiliar feeling of a shaved head.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Once she felt like she was properly dressed, she strode out of the showers like she was still unfamiliar with the layout, hoping to look like a clear noob. She headed over to one of the common areas, seeing that there was a slowly growing crowd forming. From the uniforms, mostly Thirds and Seconds were grouping up. She was aware that she was becoming just a part of the crowd. As the crowd grew, the louder it became, which she was expecting.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What do you think is going on?” “Think it’s another training mission?” “Would be nice if they ship us to Wutai.” “I hope not!” “If they do, we’re dead.” “Maybe a party?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Before the crowd got any louder, she heard someone whistle very loudly, piercing through the commotion and the strands of conversation. All eyes, including her own, went directly to the source of the whistle. Standing on the edge of the group were Angeal and a black haired guy who she swore looked like Zack. She bit down on tears and the feeling of dread.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Why would that affect you?’</span>
  </em>
  <span> she heard Sephiroth ask her mentally, but she ignored the question.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“A research specimen has broken free from the Science and Development floor,” Angeal announced, “we’ve yet to get any orders from Director Lazard on the matter but it’s a good idea to keep your eyes open.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Before the crowd could start talking, the sound of the nearby elevator caught everyone’s attention. If the sound of the elevator dinging and the whirr of the doors opening hadn’t caught anyone’s attention, the fact that a very recognizable silver-haired man in black with a sheathed sword would have. She watched as Sephiroth strode up to Angeal as if nothing was going on. She could almost hear her pulse speeding up at the very idea that Sephiroth was nearby and knew exactly where she was. Her fear became a mix of fear and anger as she caught the feeling of amusement over her fear coming from him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘I wonder how well you can keep your cool…’</span>
  </em>
  <span> he thought at her in a very amused manner, </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘and for how long.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘I hate you. You evil, evil man,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> she fumed mentally at him as she steeled her expression, something that had been literally beaten into her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She heard the crowd muttering in hushed, near reverent, tones as she watched Sephiroth greet his friend with a nod. She saw Angeal turn so his back was to everyone, likely to tell his friend about what has happened. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Do you know what’s going on, Seph?” Angeal asked, seeing his friend in a highly amused state in a way that no one else but him, Zack, and Genesis would notice.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“She escaped from Hojo’s lab,” his friend said with a slight movement to the corner of his mouth.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And you watched,” Angeal said, catching onto his friend’s great amusement.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It frustrated him greatly,” his friend replied with the same lifting of the corner of his mouth, his eyes glittering with barely restrained mirth.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Do you know where she is?” Angeal asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I have reason to suspect that she might have obtained some clothing and is in hiding. The closest floor to the labs where she could have obtained clothing--”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Would be this floor. In which case, she’s likely hiding amongst that crowd,” Angeal said with a frown, “what’s your plan?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We wait until we get tapped to track her down. She should stick out like a sore thumb since she hasn't been requisitioned a sword," Sephiroth said before answering Angeal's question through gesture 'pay attention to PHS. Lazard assisting. Favor.'</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ll follow your lead.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He saw Sephiroth nod before they turned towards the crowd. From where he stood, Sephiroth looked over the sea of blue and purple uniforms, standing on a raised section of the floor where the crowd had assembled on the lower section. This coupled with his rather impressive height, allowed him to survey the slowly growing crowd as the rumor mill continued to draw more of the lower-ranked SOLDIERs together. It didn’t take long at all for him to pinpoint exactly where Ami was, since she was holding herself in the same way all fresh Thirds did - semi-self consciously and with little confidence. If he didn’t know what to look for, he would have just thought she was part of the newest batch of Thirds.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>‘Do you know which one she is?’ Angeal asked through gesture.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>‘Over there. The awkward Third. No sword.’ Sephiroth responded.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>‘She certainly knows how to sell it. No one would think twice.’ Angeal communicated, skillfully focusing on the target without obviously looking or staring.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ve gotten more information regarding the specimen. We haven’t received orders yet, but I’ve just heard that the specimen appears to be a woman.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>At the mention of ‘woman’, the crowd erupted, reminding her that she was literally swimming in an ocean of testosterone. Most of the comments involved whether they were having a dream, that this woman has got to be pretty, and various under the belt stuff. She, however, was hoping that Sephiroth hadn’t figured out where she was and that he hadn’t told Angeal where she was.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Do you think she’s dangerous?” someone actually asked, thinking with the brains in their skull unlike most of the sea of men.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We don’t know if she’s as strong as us or what her training is. Assume that she’s both fragile and able to break your bones as easily as she could break your heart,” Angeal said with a smirk.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Damn right, except for the fragile thing,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> she thought in a mutter.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Allowances must be made for the egos of lesser men,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> Sephiroth mentally commented with a clear scoff.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She did her best to hide a frown as everyone seemed to have gotten a text message at the same time. To her relief, some didn’t bother looking and instead looked over buddies’ shoulders or just discussed the contents. She gleaned that the message had the same information Angeal had shared except that they were to muster together so they could break off into teams led by Firsts. She had a sinking feeling like she was going to be put through absolute hell. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘That’s because you will be. All fresh Thirds go through some sort of hell. You won’t be any different.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘I just learned something.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Do tell.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘I hate you even more, you evil, evil jerk.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The only mental response she got from him was the mental equivalent of a long, hard laugh of deep amusement like he’d heard the best joke in a long, long time. Since her eyes were hidden by the helmet, she glared at him, knowing that no one would be able to see. She watched as the crowd continued to grow, slowly but steadily. She watched as Genesis joined his friends.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So I hear that there’s been an escaped woman,” Genesis said with a smirk.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It wasn’t long before a few more SOLDIERs joined the ever growing sea of bodies as a handful of Firsts joined Sephiroth and his friends. Somehow, she was expecting there to be more Firsts than that. Another loud and shrill whistle pierced through the din and what felt like hundreds of Thirds and Seconds suddenly fell silent. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Listen up,” Sephiroth announced, “we will be splitting into teams. Please gather up into eight groups and the Firsts will choose the group they want.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She had the bad feeling that Sephiroth would purposely choose the group she’d worked her way into.</span>
  <em>
    <span> ‘Of course. I won’t let you off that lightly.’</span>
  </em>
  <span> Her only response was a string of obscenities as she worked her way into one of the eight roughly equal pools of Seconds and Thirds.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“New?” one of the seconds asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Definitely green around the ears,” she responded.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I can tell. Forgot your sword?” he asked gently.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I dressed in a rush,” she said, allowing some of her discomfort to show.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Let’s just hope that the General doesn’t notice,” he said cheerfully.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“General?” she asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sephiroth. He’s the highest ranked First. Didn’t you know?” he asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I… I knew he was high on the chain of command. I mean, he’s probably the strongest. And the most popular,” she responded, feeling a sudden spike of worry.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Don’t worry, he doesn’t tend to use Masamune on lowly Thirds,” her new friend commented with a chuckle, “he’s more likely to have you do push-ups.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I know I’d prefer push-ups to being impaled by a ten foot sword,” she commented with a chuckle.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She fought down the urge to add the word ‘again’ to her statement. She hoped deep down that getting that acquainted with Masamune was going to be a one time deal. She felt a deep ache where she’d been impaled and fought the urge to rub the spot. She knew that would be a giveaway as to where she was, one that even Genesis and Angeal would pick up. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘Because of course, he’d probably told his best friends where I am.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Good luck,” her new ‘friend’ said before ducking into the crowd.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Before she could ask him what was going on, she had a real bad feeling.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You!” she heard a voice she was growing more and more familiar with shout in a commanding tone, “Third!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She let out a muttered word before turning towards Sephiroth and looked around, seeing everyone seemingly step away from her immediately before motioning to herself. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes you,” Sephiroth responded with a sigh, “what happened to your sword?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Left it at home on accident, sir,” she responded in an octave that didn’t make it obvious that she was a chick masquerading as a guy.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Angeal and Genesis exchanged raised eyebrow looks. ‘Not bad of a lie.’ ‘Considering one of the guys in our group did just that.’ ‘And Zack.’ Zack saw the slight motion towards him but didn’t know the context, but it wasn’t exactly anything new. He was used to Angeal giving him a slight glance like that every so often.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You know what we do with Thirds who leave their swords at home?” Sephiroth asked, obviously giving her a lot of opportunities to hang herself with all the rope he was giving her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I definitely hope it’s push-ups and not using your sword on them, sir,” she responded, getting chuckles from the assembled SOLDIERs.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It is indeed push-ups,” he said with an air of wry amusement, “drop and give me twenty.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘I really hate you,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> she thought toward him as she dropped to the floor and started doing push-ups.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Start from the beginning and count verbally,” he commanded as soon as she’d mentally hit fifteen.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘I really, really hate you,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> she thought right at him as she started counting, hearing a mental equivalent of laughter from him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Start at one and add the word ‘sir’ after each number,” he commanded once she’d gotten to ten.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As she did her push-ups, she mentally pictured Sephiroth as a pincushion with all six pieces of the fusion sword poking into him. She ignored the laughter of the onlookers and was thankful that she was done once it was all over. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It looks like I might as well keep an eye on you,” Sephiroth said, choosing the group of SOLDIERs she was in. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She hoped that she hadn’t shown just how stuff and sore her arms were feeling. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘I didn’t notice. I’m not surprised that you’d have some side effects since you’ve been in the lab for six weeks.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Six weeks, huh,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> she mused to herself, </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘other than stiffness from not having moved in ages, I actually don’t feel too bad.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Let’s see how long that lasts,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> she heard him mentally say to her in an amused tone as she felt the bottom of her stomach drop. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘You’re going to kill me, aren’t you?’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Not at all. You’ll merely wish for death. I’ve put many Thirds through their paces.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘I’m not a Third.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Your clothing suggests otherwise. Unless you want to give yourself up and be escorted back up to Hojo’s lab…’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘My hate for you knows no bounds, sir.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘You’re not the first to think that in regards to me.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Our search area will be the building, going from level 59 all the way down to the bottom level of the parking garage. You will be split into smaller groups of different sizes in order to complete this task. Halberg, I need you to take two of your choosing to secure the exit to the parking garage. Jeffries, I need you to grab a partner and monitor the stairwell in case the target sneaks out into the stairwell. Black, take half of the remainder and work your way up from the bottom level of the parking garage. I’ll lead the rest of the group in the search working from level 59.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sir, do you think the target’s still in the building?” one of the Seconds asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“If they were smart or desperate enough, they likely left the building with all due haste. It doesn’t hurt to be thorough, just in case,” he responded as the group fractured and started to go their own way and she inched toward the group that wasn’t Sephiroth’s.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, no you don’t,” she heard Sephiroth say as she felt a weight on her shoulder guards, “I’m keeping you in my sight.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Did you think I’d let you go that easily?’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Less ‘think’ and more ‘hoped’,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> she mentally responded with a mental equivalent of a sigh of resignation.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : : .</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Author’s Note: 1/9/21<br/>I’m on the same waking time as I was when I finished the previous two chapters. This had been partially written when I went back and revised the earlier chapters, so I didn’t write it all today, lol. </p><p>Things are a bit different from the previous version of events, time travel via Lifestream notwithstanding. I’ve decided to let things go at their own pace rather than rush (which I did a lot of, I admit). I know that this version of Ami has yet to drive Sephiroth as insane yet, but a lot of it is because she’s pretending to be a Third and a lot of her usual ‘drive Sephiroth nuts’ stuff would be the kinds of things she’d be doing a lot of push-ups over if she wanted to keep her ruse intact.</p><p>Also with the push-up scene, it was something I witnessed almost verbatim when I was in JROTC in High School, well over a decade ago. </p><p>Random BtV trivia: I came up with the concept of BtV (Sephy fangirl finding herself in pre-CC Gaia) before I got introduced to Isekai (my official introduction was That Time I Was Reincarnated as a Slime, back in 2019). I’ve realized that BtV is very similar to How Not to Summon a Demon Lord (gamer finding themselves in a world based on their favorite game).</p><p>Laters!<br/>~Gregora</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. The Daring Escape Part 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Ami learns that the "search" of Shinra HQ was just a ruse and that she's to be his student and roommate. She also has her first meal on Gaia.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Disclaimer: I don’t own squat except for Ami. I’m just playing in Square-Enix’s sandbox, yo. Also, I need feedback and lots of since I know I’m not perfect and if things don’t mesh or match up, I welcome advice. Anyways, on with the story!</p><p>Trigger Warning: [None that I could find]</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Chapter Five</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>By the time that she reached level 32, Ami felt like her legs were ready to give out. She’d spent hours with the team searching each floor thoroughly as per Sephiroth’s directions and then walked down the stairs to the next floor. Since she’d been earlier singled out for having ‘left her sword at home’, she’d become the rookie everyone gave grief. It wasn’t malicious, that much she knew. It was like when she’d started working as an enforcer for The Boss. She’d been put through the wringer, but it was just to test her mettle and capability. This wasn’t something new to her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘You seem to be faring better than I expected,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> she heard him telepathically say in an amused manner.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Not the first hazing I’ve gone through. Went through a two week long hazing when I got my first job,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> she responded, </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘this is almost pleasant in comparison.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Steady there,” she heard one of the Seconds tell her as she lost her balance momentarily.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sorry,” she apologized as she recovered her balance, “I’ve had a long day.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I hear ‘ya,” the Second said, giving her shoulder a reassuring pat, “sometimes it takes a while to adjust and find your feet again. Go take a break.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She merely nodded towards where she could see Sephiroth down the hall and allowed the Second to translate that as he would. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I get it. You want to prove yourself to the General. We all do. Sometimes the best way to do that is to take care of yourself first and foremost so that if he does rely on you, you’re ready for it,” the Second said with a smile, “I’ll even cover for you if you’re really worried.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thanks,” she said with a smile before going over and finding a bit of floor to sit down.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She noticed that people tended to take breaks at a regular pace, something she’d failed to notice since she’d been forcing herself to the point of exhaustion. She expected to be yelled at for slacking, but no one seemed to care.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘They noticed that you kept going. It’s something fresh Thirds always do on their first assignment. They always try to do it all in one go, even when they should pace themselves. That and being complete and utter idiots,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> Sephiroth telepathically said with an air of amused annoyance.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Utter idiots how?’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘They come out of the treatments feeling great and they fall into the mistake of assuming that they’re immortal because it feels that way. They do something stupid. The lucky ones are the ones who come out smarter and wiser from the experience.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Except for you. I can’t imagine you doing something idiotic as a Third.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Only because I went through those treatments when I was very young and I wasn’t allowed outside until I’d been accepted into SOLDIER,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> he responded quietly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She didn’t respond because she didn’t know how. Being sad for him wouldn’t do anything but make her sad, after all. She heard the door to the stairwell open and saw the other half of the group meeting back up with the test. She got up, wanting to overhear what the report was going to be. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sir, we didn’t find the target or any evidence of her,” the leader of the second half of the group reported.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ll report to Lazard that the building is clean. In the time being, everyone should take a break and await further orders,” she heard Sephiroth say before he walked past her, likely to find a private spot to make his report.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She closed off the telepathic connection, hoping that he’d take it to mean she was going to not listen in. She hid her intentions and thoughts as deeply as she could as she saw him enter an empty office since the employees had mostly clocked off for the day. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Lazard. The building has been searched and the target has yet to be found,” she heard him say before a Second caught her at the door and gave her a disapproving look.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I can’t be the first one to want to eavesdrop,” she whispered back.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Can’t imagine it’d be awfully interesting anyways,” he whispered back at a lower volume.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>On the other side of the door, Sephiroth was both amused and frustrated knowing that she was eavesdropping on him and was being stubborn about things. A quality that he both respected and loathed at the same time. He decided to temporarily focus on his amusement. He could deal with his frustration later. He took a moment to telepathically tap another Second to draw his attention to the eavesdropping Third. If it wasn’t going to work, he just might have to telepathically tell her to give him his privacy.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You are aware that you owe me for this,” Lazard said with a heavy sigh, “I don’t exactly appreciate being used in your continual fight with Hojo.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He was aware that Ami was trying to convince another Second to let her be before she walked off with an audible sigh. Now, he had privacy.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m aware,” Sephiroth responded, “I felt that he’d continually delay the requisition in hopes that we’d forget.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I felt the same, which is why I allowed this ruse of yours. How is she performing?” Lazard asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“She has demonstrated an impeccable ability to think on her feet, although she doesn’t appear to be suspicious that I’d leave a complete Third’s uniform and gear minus the sword laying about for her to find,” Sephiroth said with a smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He heard Lazard let out a sound somewhere between a sigh and groan before saying, “you haven’t told her anything, have you?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“She’s performing completely in the dark, convinced that all of SOLDIER is patrolling the building and all of Sector 0 looking for her,” he responded, definitely amused at his ploy that has kept her sweating.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s times like these that I’m immensely thankful I was never in SOLDIER,” Lazard stated, “tell your men that they’re relieved of duty for the night. I also suggest you inform your student of everything before she wanders off somewhere.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I still have people stationed at the exits. If she tries, she’ll be detained. Assuming I don’t find her myself,” he responded with a smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I wish you luck in her training. The next batch of exams are in three weeks,” Lazard said evenly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“She will be ready,” he said, allowing the implication to hang in the air, “I appreciate you playing along, sir.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re welcome,” Lazard responded before hanging up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When he left the room, he managed to spot her rather quickly since she was getting a lecture from a few of the Seconds. He didn’t need to peek into anyone’s mind to find out for what.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“General,” one of the Seconds called out to get his attention, “this Third was caught eavesdropping on your conversation.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“She’s not a Third yet,” he announced, knowing that he was giving them one of his rare smiles, “This has been a training exercise and a test, not just for you, but for my student here. There was never a real search.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Wait! Are you saying that this was all a… a <strong>prank?”</strong> Ami sputtered, removing her helmet to give Sephiroth a glare.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Training exercise. You perceived yourself to be deep in enemy territory and proved that you could keep your cool in situations where I’ve seen my fellow SOLDIERs waver,” he said calmly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ami felt like she’d been manipulated and pranked hard as she stared at the highest ranking SOLDIER. He’d pranked her and hazed her almost as bad as the two week hazing she’d received as a teenaged idiot. But what soothed some of the pain and annoyance was simply because he’d complimented her. She’d passed a test she’d had no idea she was taking.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And the other SOLDIERs were quiet. She could hear some of the louder thoughts being surprised that there had been a girl in their secretive mens’ club and they hadn’t noticed. Some were in awe that he’d started to instruct newer SOLDIERs. And some were utterly jealous.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Her brain skidded to a halt at that. Wait, he said something about that, right? </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hold up. You said something about me being your student?” she asked, more surprised at that than at anything else.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Upper management has decided that I’m in need of a student and you’re in need of an instructor,” he responded with a slight shrug before turning to the group, “all of you are free to go for the rest of the evening. Please inform those securing the doors. Thank you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>To Ami, it was like it had just hit three in the afternoon on a Friday in Elementary School. Everyone practically disappeared in a hurry. In what felt to Ami to be mere moments, she was alone with Sephiroth.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So what next?” she asked him as he waited for the elevator, “when did all this regarding me was decided?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It was decided that you would join SOLDIER within hours of your arrival and I was immediately tapped to train you not just to pass the entrance exam, but during your career in SOLDIER until you no longer need an instructor,” he frowned with a sigh at something before continuing, “it was also decided that I’m to also house you during the time you’re under my instruction.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She frowned as she heard the last bit, knowing that she would be continually observed and followed and that she’d have no privacy. The elevator doors opened with a ding and she followed him in, too annoyed with the new direction of her life to be bothered by something so miniscule as her opinion of elevators. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What part of this arrangement troubles you?” he asked quietly once the doors were closed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Living with an unfamiliar man and being under constant supervision,” she said with a sigh.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Some of the supervision is normal as a Third training under an instructor. The rest is simply because no one truly knows the full effects of Hojo’s experimentation on you and because you're not a willing recruit. Some caution is warranted, for your safety as much as everyone else’s,” he explained calmly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I guess it’s just that…” she said trailing off before letting out a sigh, “before all this, I lived alone. I was pretty much alone my whole life.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He allowed the conversation to drop there, not wanting to dig up his own buried past and all the pain of it all that he’d sealed away at the recesses of his mind. It was merely a few short moments before the elevator opened up on the ground floor.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Wait here,” he said to Ami before walking over to the front doors, seeing that those stationed there had indeed received word and had cleared out before walking back, “follow me.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She nodded and did as she was told, following Sephiroth down a flight of steps and into the underground parking lot. She raised her eyes at seeing not just a motorcycle that appeared to be a larger version of her own, but also her own, although with some modifications. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘Likely to allow it to use fuel native to this world,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> she thought to herself. There were a few boxes and crates filling the rest of the parking space that clearly was meant for a vehicle much, much bigger than two large motorcycles.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Here,” he said, handing her a box, “it was all I could salvage of what was on you once Hojo was through with it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thanks,” she said with a smile before opening it. She saw the motorcycle helmet on top of the clothes she’d worn, which clearly had been cut through with scissors and saw a sealed bag holding the contents of her pockets as well as her key ring. She smiled as she saw her phone and the spare cables and small surge protector she’d carried on her as well as what appeared to be an adapter which she assumed would allow her to charge her phone using local power outlets. She smiled, seeing that the two most important objects to her were also in the bag - her worn paperback copy of ‘The Art of War’ she’d been given by her adoptive father and her harmonica. She took out her keys and put the rest of the sealed bag into one of the saddlebags of her motorcycle and dumped the ruined clothes into the nearest garbage can.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ve yet to see if you can drive it more than skidding to a stop,” Sephiroth said with an amused tone, his words muffled a touch from his full-face helmet.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Then we may as well start off slow, then,” she commented with some amount of sarcasm as she slid her motorcycle helmet on and mounted her motorcycle.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Follow my lead,” he said with a slight scoff, already on his motorcycle.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The only surprise she felt as Sephiroth’s massive beast of a motorcycle roared to life was the fact that she expected something louder. She scoffed to herself as she also started her motorcycle’s engine and noticed that her’s was definitely louder. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘Volume isn’t everything,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> he telepathically commented as he started to pull out of the parking spot. She chuckled to herself as she followed suit.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She noticed that as she followed him on the ramp out of the parking garage, he was giving her a mental map of their route.</span>
  <em>
    <span> ‘After all, I don’t want you wandering off or getting lost,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> he commented as he started to build up speed, giving her permission to match his own speed. Within a minute, she was certain that both of them were pushing their motorcycles to go as fast as they could go as they weaved around vehicles as if they were a pair of road demons. She couldn’t help but to frown as her motorcycle obviously couldn’t keep up with his. She still followed his path until she pulled up into the same parking space as he had, in the parking garage of what looked to be a swanky apartment complex.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He was already dismounting his motorcycle by the time she killed her motorcycle’s engine and gave her a nod. She hurried to catch up with him, which somehow earned a slight smile and a small sound of amusement. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“There’s no need to hurry,” he said with a smile as he watched her nearly trip because she’d misjudged the height of her motorcycle due to hurrying.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t like making people wait on my account,” she explained once she’d caught her balance and removed her helmet.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And I have no problem waiting,” he said in a tone she could have sworn had some warmth to it, “especially considering that for all the noise yours makes, it’s slower.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m going to need to fix that problem,” she said as she followed him over to the nearby elevator.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He merely raised an eyebrow at her before the elevator doors parted to grant them entry. She continued to follow him, knowing that at this point, she had no freedom. She’d try to hide how much it bothered her through her usual means of hiding things which was her biting wit and sarcasm. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I will warn you that you’ll be entering a place that many people would give anything to see or be in,” he said lightly as the doors closed, “and it may not be what you expect.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You don’t strike me as the sort to go nuts with the decor of an apartment you likely only see in the evenings and early mornings. I’d be surprised to see any sort of furniture that gives off the feeling of ‘lived in’,” she commented.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’ll see,” he said with a bemused smile as the elevator chimed, the floor number for the very top of the building alight.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Right outside the elevator was what looked to be an enclosed balcony which led to a pair of doors with glass panels. The balcony was tidy, only containing a table and a built-in grill with counter space on either side of said grill. It looked like it had been used to host small gatherings. She noticed that there was also a recycling bin nearby which had some kind of bottles. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I never marked you as the partying sort,” she commented before the elevator dinged behind them. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She turned around, seeing Angeal, Genesis, and Zack approach them. Angeal seemed bemused and relaxed, Genesis seemed to be radiating nothing but a relaxed calm as he carried a plastic bag in a hand, and Zack seemed a touch annoyed, likely because he was carrying multiple plastic bags. She couldn’t help but be amused at the fact that she’d been in that position years ago.</span>
  <em>
    <span> ‘And likely in my immediate future,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> she thought with some amusement.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I hope we’re not intruding,” Genesis said with a smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Like it would make a difference if you were,” Sephiroth commented dryly with a small smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We figured that we should celebrate your new stage in SOLDIER,” Angeal said with a smile, “and your student’s first meal since her arrival.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I heard everything,” Zack said with a grin, “so you’re from another world, eh? You’ve gotta tell us everything about it!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Zack, simmer,” Angeal said, taking on a tone that wouldn’t be amiss if one was dealing with a literal puppy.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Don’t mind the puppy,” Genesis said with a smile, “he means well.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She found herself almost instantly relaxing, taking in the feeling of camaraderie. She felt as if a lot of weight on her shoulders had dissolved as she did her best to bury memories deep down. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘Even back there, I didn’t have something like this. Not since...,’ </span>
  </em>
  <span>she couldn’t help but to think.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ve yet to show her around,” Sephiroth explained, “while I’m doing so, would any of you like something?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I think we’ve covered all of the basics. We got our favorite drinks, a variety of taster bottles, and a nice array of food,” Angeal said with a smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And used me to carry everything,” Zack said with what was clearly good natured fake annoyance.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Not true,” Genesis said, raising his hand which carried the bag.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s one bag!” Zack exclaimed, “One! Count ‘em!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>For the first time in a while, she laughed at the scene that unfolded between the friends. She caught Sephiroth motioning for her to follow and she nodded and followed him in. She swore she didn’t think she’d walked into an apartment but into an actual house. And not just that, but into a rather cozy looking living room. Along the wall to her right was a fireplace and on the mantle was what looked to her to be a large tv. Along the wall by the door was one sofa and along the wall to her immediate right was a small table then another sofa. They all looked like they’d been used and she gave him a raised eyebrow at his amusement.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I told you that it may not be as you expect,” he said with some amount of amusement, “while you are correct for the most part concerning my preferred decor, it’s entirely due to the fact that my roommates and friends have added their own touches.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m surprised that Shinra could afford to cover the costs of living in such lavish conditions,” she said with a bit of a frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Company policy is that SOLDIERs are housed depending on their rank. Those who are Third Class are typically housed in barracks within Sector 0. Upon gaining a promotion to Second Class, they are allowed their own apartment within the barracks. Those who attain the rank of First Class are allowed to live on their own and the company will only cover up to a certain amount of rent,” he said as she picked up a trace amount of amusement as she swore she saw the edges of his mouth move slightly upwards before saying, “Angeal, Genesis, and I discovered that by living together, the company will cover three times as much as if we lived separately.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I just hope that when I get situated, I can cover my fair share of expenses,” she said with a frown as she followed him into the kitchen.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You need not concern yourself about it,” he said with a bit of a smile, “we’ve already discussed it and deemed it unfair to force you to spend your meager starting salary just on bills when we can shoulder them just fine ourselves. You’ve lost enough already.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She looked down, not knowing how to react while trying to rein in her overwhelming emotions. Everything was both new and familiar, a sort of alien familiarity to everything. And yet, she couldn’t shake the near overwhelming feeling of having lost more than she thought, more than she was willing to admit. And then there was the anger of having lost some of her freedoms she had taken for granted, just weeks ago. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘It’s like I’m back there all over again. Almost.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I suppose we should set up and agree to some ground rules before too long,” he mused, looking over the kitchen, pulling her out of her thoughts, “but for the time being, assume that any food you want that is unmarked is open season.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And I’ll try to be a good houseguest,” she said with a nod. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Just be aware that you’re the first person outside of my friends who will have stayed here,” he said carefully.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She forced the memories and the pain back down at those words. She hoped he hadn’t caught any telepathic glimpses.</span>
  <em>
    <span> ‘This telepathy stuff is annoying. I can’t tell what’s too loud or not, whether you’ve seen anything or not,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> she commented towards him telepathically. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘Since you’re the first I’ve encountered with this same ability, it’s also a matter I’m vexed by as well.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So a lot of what’s going on is new to you as well,” she stated with a frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That is indeed the case. It doesn’t appear to be anything new for students to also teach their instructors new skills,” he said, giving her what she thought was a gentle smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“As long as we come from a place of shared respect and honesty, things should mostly work out,” she said with a smile as he led her down a hallway which held a staircase going up on the left as well as three doors.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“The door to the right is the main floor bathroom,” Sephiroth explained, motioning to the mentioned door, “it’s open for general use by us and any guests we may have over.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She nodded to show that she understood the implication that there were private bathrooms before he continued, “the other two rooms are bedrooms. Specifically the ones claimed by Genesis and Angeal.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She was definitely still amused by the fact that Sephiroth had allowed his closest friends to move in. It really didn’t surprise her that he would, considering the events of a specific game. A specific game which was definitely causing her some pain. She saw him give her a worried glance.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s just something from my world,” she said, “I don’t know how to broach the subject yet. I need to learn more about this world first.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And once you know how to broach the subject?” he asked in a way which made her feel less like being prodded and more like he was concerned.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’ll be the first I talk to about it or one of the first,” she said with a frown, “I just need to know some cultural information and some more specific details first.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Fair enough,” he said with a nod before guiding her up the stairs, revealing a very small landing with only two doors, the rooms likely taking half of the floor space apiece. “That door over there,” he said, motioning to the door to the left of where they’d gotten onto the landing, “leads to my bedroom.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Gotcha. No trespassing or intruding, knock first,” she said with a smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And that will apply to me when it comes to your bedroom with the exception in the case that I feel that your life is in immediate danger,” he said calmly, “and even then, I’m likely to knock first unless I hear trouble.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Fair enough,” she said with a smile, walking over to the door to her bedroom.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Of course, another exception is now,” he said as he followed her to the door, “I want to make sure that I can answer any questions you may have.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She nodded before she opened the door to find a rather empty bedroom. The only furniture in the room was a rather plain dresser, an equally plain bed with a couple of pillows, and a plain wooden desk. She was curious when she noticed two doors and walked in carefully. She was aware that he was watching her as she opened the first door to find a rather decent sized closet which was completely empty save for some clothes hangers and two sets of SOLDIER Third Class uniforms. She was willing to bet that they were the same size.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And something snapped into place in her mind.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You wanted me to find the gear in the locker,” she said, chuckling at it all, “you were goading me.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I managed to get your measurements from Hojo and requisitioned you the customary number of uniforms. Due to my rank, I’m allowed to reserve the use of one of the lockers. Everyone but you knew which locker was the one I reserved,” he explained with a smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You expected me to escape,” she stated, uncertain if she should be amused, surprised, or completely terrified by how prepared he was.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That or you’d be discharged from Hojo’s care and would be in need of clothing. For all intents and purposes, you’re unofficially a SOLDIER Third Class until you take the exam and pass,” he explained, still amused.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And you think I’ll pass?” she asked, raising an eyebrow in his general direction.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’ll undoubtedly pass the physical half of the exam,” he stated with a smile, “it’s more the written portion that may pose an issue.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Considering that a lot of the text I’ve encountered today is similar enough to my native language, reading comprehension won’t be too much of an issue, I think,” she said with a smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“There’s also the matter of knowing and memorizing the regulations. There is also a small part based on drill as well,” he said with a nod, “but we’ll start on that soon.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She nodded before remembering that there was another door in her bedroom and poked her head in. The room was illuminated by a frosted glass window, revealing a rather nice bathroom with a rather long tub set into the floor and a shower head hanging from a wall. Her eyes went over to the sink and toilet, her eyes focused on the familiar fixtures.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Is everything okay?” he asked, standing at roughly the middle of her room.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“With how familiar everything is, if I in my pre-coffee stupor forget that I’m not in the world I’m from, please don’t hold it against me,” she said with a smile before a thought occurred to her. One which utterly terrified her. “Oh god, please tell me coffee exists in this world.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She knew that he was doing his best to not die laughing at her words and likely expression as he said, “I don’t know if it’s the same drink you’re used to, but we do have a drink called coffee here.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And it wakes people up due to the presence of caffeine which is a stimulant? Correct? And also exceedingly bitter.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That does sound like an apt description,” he said, inclining his head, “I take it from your explanation that you prefer to add things to your coffee?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I can make do with milk and sugar. I prefer chocolate,” she said before frowning, “please tell me that those things exist here too.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Things by those names certainly do,” he said with some amusement, “and it sounds like you might like your coffee the same way Genesis does. If everything is settled with you, we should join the others for dinner.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She nodded, following him all the way down the stairs and out to the enclosed patio where the takeout boxes of food were arranged and paper plates and what looked to be plastic utensils were set out for everyone. Everyone sat on chairs at the table, a drink either in hand or in front of them, and were laughing at something.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Everything’s good?” Angeal asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Surprisingly, yes,” she responded with a smile, “if not for some details, I’d swear that I’d gotten lost in my world and just happened to get into the fanciest apartment I could ever imagine.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m sure we can help you adjust,” Angeal said with a smile, knowing that he’d voluntold his friends, “but I think we should start on the food before it gets any colder.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What foods are there?” she asked, looking over the boxes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We went to a burger place,” Zack said with a smile, “we have burgers, two different types of chips - one’s plain and the other has a ton of toppings, salad, tons of chocobo strips, and--”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ll just have one or some of everything,” Ami announced with a grin, interrupting the long list, “I’m hungry enough to eat a boiled shoe at this point.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That statement led to a lot of laughter from everyone as a plate was loaded up with food and when she saw just how much the foods resembled foods from Earth, she was overcome with emotion. She bit into her burger and chewed it carefully, realizing that her mind was telling her that there were no discernable differences before realizing that the chips mentioned looked like fries and ate one, going through the same process. The chips which were covered in toppings, looked like fries covered in gobs of cheese, bacon, and some sort of cream-based sauce. By the time she’d reached the chocobo strip and found out that apparently chocobos tasted exactly like chicken, she stared at the guys at the table.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>From everyone’s perspective, she’d systematically taken one bite of each of the foods on her plate with a clear critical eye and had frowned while doing so. Her actions and expression had given an impression that the foods were completely alien to her and she wasn’t sure what to make of them. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Was this arrangement of food a group decision or was it decided by one individual?” she asked quietly, knowing and intentionally keeping her voice calm because she was on the verge of crying.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Zack, Angeal, and Genesis looked at each other as Sephiroth simply sat by to watch. After all, she’d been on the verge of telepathically screaming in happiness and knew that his friends were under the impression that her reaction was wholly negative. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It was a group decision to have a group dinner together to celebrate your entrance to SOLDIER as Sephiroth’s student,” Genesis stated with a smile, “the specific place was Zack’s idea.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Zack started to look uncomfortable from being put on the spot and was expecting a negative reaction from Ami. Especially since she looked like she was about to cry. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thank you guys for welcoming me in like this,” she said, emotion raw in her voice, “and more importantly, thank you for introducing me to foods of this world that taste almost exactly like foods from my own. I…” she broke off before taking a deep breath and looking away from everyone, “I was feeling really lost and overwhelmed today, dealing with things that were frightening and uncertain and… well… new. I don’t really deal with big sudden changes well and… being pulled from my own world to one that is unfamiliar to me… And look at me. If you have stereotypes of women being emotional wrecks, I’m just fulfilling that right here.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t see anything about this that makes me think you’re being an emotional wreck,” Zack stated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Indeed. You’re processing the loss of your world,” Genesis said gently.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He’s right. You’re going through the stages of grief and it’s completely normal and expected and human,” Angeal said, just as gently.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“The fact that you held up until you felt comfortable and knew that you were safe is nothing to be ashamed of. It’s best that it happened here and now than in a crisis,” Sephiroth added, “I fully expect an adjustment period and have planned accordingly.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sephiroth’s right,” Angeal said with a nod, “we all have gone through adjustment periods as we entered SOLDIER.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Also, I’m sorry that I kind of killed the mood,” she said quietly before ravenously eating everything now that her emotions had equalized.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After a moment of stunned silence, she heard chuckling from the three Firsts.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What’s so funny?” Zack asked, completely puzzled by whatever joke hadn’t been spoken.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“She eats like you do,” Angeal said with a chuckle.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I at least breathe!” Zack exclaimed defensively, “she isn’t.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Questionable,” Genesis merely responded with a chuckle as Ami swallowed the food in her mouth to speak.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I do in fact know how to eat without choking,” she said with some indignation and amusement.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“After all you said about the food being what you’re used to, I’d have thought you’d be savoring it more,” Angeal said skeptically.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I know it exists so it’s a matter of looking,” she explained with a smile, “and the last time I ate was apparently six weeks ago so I’m dying of hunger here.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Seph, I’m starting to think you wound up with your own puppy,” Genesis said with a chuckle.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Puppy? You mean like Zack?” she asked before chuckling, “nah, this is me off the clock. I’m relaxing and chilling. There’s no crisis to deal with, no one to mess up, I’m good.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Mess up?” Angeal asked with a raised eyebrow.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Right, never mentioned my past at all,” she said with a smirk, “I was adopted by the leader of a local gang after I impressed him with what he considered my bravery. Boss initially wanted me to be an errand girl, working at one of the cover businesses, but I convinced him to let me be trained by one of his enforcers. We settled on a deal - if I washed out, I’d be an errand girl and more or less be trained for the interior leadership roles. I didn’t wash out and in fact, became one of the youngest enforcers. I’d already knew the basics of fighting on the street from having to deal with bullies on my own and I was already studying two different martial arts, so it was just formalized training and instruction.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And what did enforcers do?” Angeal asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Subtle work. Collecting debts, if the amount given wasn’t the same as the amount expected, the target would pay by getting injured; maintaining the information network, spreading misinformation, sometimes setting the stage for unfortunate accidents to happen to specific targets, keeping the goons in line. That kinda thing,” she explained with a smirk.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“In other words, you were basically a Turk,” Sephiroth said with some amusement, “that can prove advantageous.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Also explains why you were walking around with so many weapons on you,” Genesis said with a smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“How many did she have?” Zack asked, realizing that he hadn’t gotten all of the details.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Two Bowie knives, sixteen throwing daggers, two pipes, and two semi-automatic pistols and two magazines with ten rounds each,” she listed off without any hesitation as if she’d memorized her gear.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And you threw everything at me, some of that literally,” Sephiroth said with amusement, “I thought for a second that I was dealing with a badly trained Wutaiese shinobi. Or a decently trained Turk.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Glad to see that you’re not holding the fact that I shot you against me,” Ami commented dryly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Only because you’re not holding the fact that I ran you through against me,” Sephiroth commented in the same tone.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Was this before or after the knives, daggers, and pipes?” Zack asked, looking between the new student and teacher.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“The knives were first,” Ami said with a grin, “took them out the moment I felt that I was within stabbing distance of his long sword.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You were just outside my range, actually,” Sephiroth said with amusement, “one more step and you would have been within reach.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Then Sephiroth told her that she was going to be Hojo’s new plaything and she charged at him without a speck of fear,” Genesis explained.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“To be fair, the idea of being experimented on struck me as a fate worse than death,” she commented.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And has it turned out to be?” Sephiroth asked, giving off the feeling that he was amused.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Jury’s still out,” Ami commented with a smirk.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So then, he pushes her back and she throws her large knives at him,” Genesis said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And throws two volleys of throwing daggers at me,” Sephiroth added, “it wasn’t hard to block or dodge them.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“But it allowed me to figure out how fast your reflexes are,” Ami stated, “and told me that I won’t be able to keep up with you if I relied on pure reflexes myself.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So she pulls out two pipes and gets almost close enough to touch Seph,” Angeal explained.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I couldn’t land a solid hit because she guessed how I was going to react,” Sephiroth said with some amusement, “so I worked out how she was expecting me to move and did the opposite.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That would have been more effective if you were more familiar with the way he fights,” Angeal said with a slight frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s actually really smart,” Zack said with a grin.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sometimes fighting smartly makes up for differences in strength and speed,” Ami said with a smile, “I’ve had to deal with guys well outside my weight class so I couldn’t rely entirely on my strength.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I just know one thing - you’re going to need to step up on your game now that you have another person vying for your position, Genesis” Zack said with a grin.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What makes you think I’d want to?” Ami asked, “I’m only in SOLDIER because I don’t have a choice. But, between being in SOLDIER and being stuck in the labs, I’d prefer being in SOLDIER.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Enough of this talk, we got drinks for you to try,” Genesis said, reminding everyone about the booze.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Let me guess, liquor,” Ami asked with a smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I admit I’m vaguely curious to see what kind of drunk you are,” Genesis said with a smirk, “we know Zack’s a fun drunk. Angeal’s all ‘I love you, man’ drunk, Sephy here, if he ever gets drunk, and I mean </span>
  <em>
    <span>really</span>
  </em>
  <span> drunk, he’d be the life of any party you throw him into.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She had to hold in her sounds of amusement as Zack merely grinned at Genesis’ description, Angeal gave a slight glare, and Sephiroth merely made an amused sound.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Then I must be exceedingly lucky that you haven’t thrown me into parties to liven them up,” Sephiroth commented dryly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’ve only got drunk enough just once and I didn’t know you were that kind of drunk,” Genesis said with a frown before shrugging, “I really missed the opportunity to destroy that public image you completely hate.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I never asked to be the SOLDIER poster boy,” Sephiroth stated with a frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ah, the curse of being pretty,” Ami commented, her tone dripping with sarcasm.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She heard chuckles from the guys, even noticing that Sephiroth seemed amused by her comment.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I do have a serious question,” she asked, frowning before she knocked back the last of the taster bottle she’d been sipping from, “what is a typical day like for a SOLDIER Third Class?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Mostly it’s learning various skills not covered by the entrance exam, like vehicle combat, parachuting, and stuff like that. Every so often, groups go out to do missions together with a Second or First leading them,” Zack said with a smile, “but I didn’t have to do much of that since Angeal had taken me under his wing.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Angeal nodded before saying, “your experience as a Third will be different since Seph here will be completely in charge of your training.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I suppose there’s no way I can squirm out of parachute training?” she asked with a frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>In hindsight, she probably should not have opened her mouth about that. Especially when Sephiroth was right there and suddenly seemed amused and curious. That just did not bode well for her, in her opinion. He raised his eyebrows and made a questioning sound, obvious enough to her socially oblivious brain to pick up that he wanted an explanation.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I… ah… might have… a… teensy… little problem… with heights,” she admitted quietly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She knew just how much she was not going to enjoy being Sephiroth’s student when she took in everyone’s expressions. Zack was obviously overwhelmingly apologetic without saying a word. Angeal seemed to be mildly concerned. Genesis seemed to be mildly amused. Sephiroth, however, was practically unreadable but she was definitely feeling some impending doom. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Perhaps you should work toward correcting your ‘little problem’ by the time of your exam,” Sephirth stated in a tone that seemed calm but had a bit of underlying threat.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Just be careful, Seph. You don’t want to traumatize her too much,” Angeal counseled carefully with a slight frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“‘Too much’?” she sputtered, “don’t you mean ‘at all’?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah,” Zack said with a bit of a flinch, still looking apologetic, “I don’t envy you at all.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : : .</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Author’s Note: 1/10/21</p><p>I spent all day of the 9th working on this. I hope that the beginning half doesn’t feel like it dragged as much as writing it did. I had to stop and think about the next step to resolve the search. Once the search was done, I got into it again.</p><p>One thing that doesn’t sit well with me is that it’s implied that Zack was a large part of Angeal’s life/time in SOLDIER and yet he never met Angeal’s buddies? I’d have thought that Angeal would have introduced his student to his buddies, if only so that most of the time, he wouldn’t be juggling dealing with the perpetual squabbles between Genesis and Sephiroth and Zack’s training. It just doesn’t sit well with me.</p><p>I know that the dinner took up a lot of space and was long, but I think that’s because I can’t help but to imagine the group dynamic of the four of them and go “I love this”. They get to drop work stuff and just be guys and joke around. </p><p>Also, something about this chapter I gotta comment on is that Sephiroth does seem like the kind of person who is prepared for everything. And also, he’s apparently the master at hazing poor fresh Thirds. Though it also makes sense as the highest ranking SOLDIER, he expects to be pulled to the front lines of the war at any time and he wants to make sure that if he brings Ami with, she’s not going to be a liability. </p><p>Also, I can see Genesis and Zack both being huge troublemakers. I can see them working together to pull pranks on people. I don’t know why but both give off the sense that they make sure the lives of those in their orbits are interesting. The same with Reno, too. </p><p>I really, really do and don’t want Genesis, Zack, and Reno team up. Or a prank war between SOLDIER and the Turks. I welcome ideas for either situation because I think it’d be a hoot.</p><p>BtV Trivia: This is the longest chapter so far of the re-write, coming in at 18 pages! (Maybe I should have split this in half!)</p><p>Laters!<br/>~Gregora</p><p>Next time on BtV: What plans does Sephiroth have for the first full day with his student?</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Ami's First Day Part 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The start of Ami's first day: a nightmare followed by a shower and then ruining everyone's breakfast.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Disclaimer: I don’t own squat except for Ami. I’m just playing in Square-Enix’s sandbox, yo. Also, I need feedback and lots of since I know I’m not perfect and if things don’t mesh or match up, I welcome advice. Anyways, on with the story!</p><p>Trigger Warning: murder, spoilers, scars, feelings of violation, torture, blood, more murder [this is a very murder-y chapter, apparently], emotional turmoil, references to child abuse.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Chapter Six</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She was in an elevator with glass walls, giving them a view of Midgar and the Shinra building as if they were flying through the air. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘It’s okay to be nervous as long as you don’t allow it to interfere,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> she heard him telepathically say, the sensation making her feel like he was actually physically stroking her back in a reassuring way. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘Is that for my benefit or your own?’</span>
  </em>
  <span> she telepathically retorted. She glanced over to her immediate left, right where she knew he was standing. </span>
  <span>They exchanged a nod. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘As one,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> she telepathically said as she gripped her… two swords? </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘As one,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> he repeated as she could hear his leather gloves creak as he slightly changed his grip on Masamune.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She almost doubled over from pain. It was like someone was stabbing her mind with many tiny spears. She heard him let out a slight sound that she took to mean he was in pain. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Something’s wrong,” he said with a clear frown as everything appeared… glitchy? </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Like she was in the SOLDIER training room and it was having an off day. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘Pathetic,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> she heard a voice say in her head that sounded almost like Sephiroth did but it was different. It was full of the ice of hatred and the fire of rage, as if this Sephiroth was barely holding it together. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘Shit. I’m going to need to do something you’ll hate but we’re gonna need you for this fight. Forgive me.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She closed her eyes and focused her breathing. She’d done this on a smaller scale - two toddlers’ minds were easy to shield. But this was far more than two toddlers. She focused on where she could sense her Sephiroth’s mind within the network of Jenova-enhanced minds and wrapped her mind around his, like a blanket where her mind met his and like a hardened shield on the outside. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘What are you doing?’</span>
  </em>
  <span> she heard him mentally send at her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘I will be your armor in this fight. You need to focus. I will be here the whole time,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> she responded calmly, gently.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The elevator parted and they came face to face with an unexpected sight. Everything glitched again, becoming foggy and hazy. She could make out the vision of Sephiroth standing behind President Shinra, Masamune emerging from the elder man’s chest. She saw the expression of deranged amusement as he pulled his Masamune out of the cooling corpse that had been President Shinra. He stepped around the corpse that was dissolving into the Lifestream as if it was beneath him, nothing of note. His cold, unblinking eyes focused with laser intensity on her Sephiroth.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I see how they housebroke you and turned you, ‘Shinra’s perfect weapon’, into their lapdog,” the other Sephiroth said, clearly disgusted at his counterpart, “don’t you have any pride or did they break you of that as well?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“If you’re insinuating that I’m the company’s faithful pet, you’re not only barking mad, but you’re barking up the wrong tree,” her Sephiroth said with a slight lift of the corners of his mouth, “furthermore, I am nobody’s weapon.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And they call </span>
  <b>me</b>
  <span> delusional,” the other Sephiroth said, dismissing the other man as his attention moved to focus on her. “And you,” the other Sephiroth said with a smile as he drew nearer to her, “we still have unfinished business from Nibelheim.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s close enough,” her Sephiroth said, taking a step closer to the other once he clearly felt that she was in danger which both flattered her and annoyed her completely.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh. They really did make you fall in love. And I believed that you’d be smarter than to fall for that illusion.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Mentally, she could feel her Sephiroth’s heckles raise and did the mental equivalent of throwing a bucket of cold water on him. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘First of all, you’ve revealed me to be one of your vulnerable spots, which means he’s now likely to come after me. Second of all, it may be best to both enrage him and appear weak.’ ‘I’m aware of that. You seem to know more about the situation than I do. What do you recommend?’ ‘His biggest weakness other than his pride, arrogance, and insanity is Jenova. If you insult his dear ‘Mother’, he will likely attack you in a fit of rage.’ ‘What else can you tell me about him?’ ‘He will likely focus on his sheer strength and overextend. He’s much sloppier with his attacks than you are.’ ‘Understood.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She heard her Sephiroth let out an amused sound, clearly about to say something when she felt like she’d just been drenched in cold water, which was exactly what happened to her. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ami sputtered as she leaped out of bed, the sheets having been tangled about her legs kept her from sticking the landing. She’d expected to leap to her feet, ready to deal with any immediate danger. Instead, she leaped off her bed and flopped onto the floor on her stomach.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“My, aren’t you as graceful as a cat this morning,” a deep voice stated with sarcasm dripping from every word.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thank you Captain Obvious,” she automatically retorted sarcastically without even thinking of the words.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was then that her mind focused on the voice she’d responded to. It was the voice from her dreams. A voice belonging to one of the very few anime ‘pretty boys’ she would never admit to enjoying the appearance of. And it didn’t hurt that one of the main voices for him was like velvet in audio form, just like the voice she’d just heard. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘Such a cozy voice. And a nice dream.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“As much as you wish it were, it’s not a dream, Ami,” she heard the same deep voice say, seeming to be torn between being uncomfortable and amused, “although I don’t mind your assessment of my voice.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She looked up from where she was sprawled out on the floor. And her inner fangirl more or less gushed a torrent of blood from her nose and immediately passed out with a squeal. At least before she tied up the said inner fangirl and tossed her into a bottomless pit. Her inner fangirl really liked the angle as she saw him stand at her bedroom door frame, technically having not entered her room as agreed upon. She merely tilted her head back down and gave it a few good thumps on the floor. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘Wait… the dream. Oh I hope he didn’t see it.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I appreciate that you’re trying to be… professional about things,” he said, sounding a bit amused, “but I don’t require a practical demonstration as to whether your head is harder than the floor.” As soon as she stopped hitting her forehead against the floor he asked, “do you need assistance?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I need coffee, a glass of water, and a new brain,” she muttered.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“The first two is easily done, but that third one might prove to be a touch on the difficult side.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“My, aren’t you just a ray of sarcasm and wit this morning,” she muttered as she struggled against the sheets which she’d somehow gotten herself tangled up in.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Only because you give me such wonderful opportunities,” he said with a chuckle, “do you want me to get you a glass of water while you wrestle with your sheets?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Please,” she responded quietly, “I really hope this doesn’t give you a negative impression.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What? That you’re not that graceful first thing in the morning? Clearly you haven’t seen the state I’m in when I wake up,” he said with a chuckle as she heard him quietly step away, “Or, for that matter, Genesis.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘No, I didn’t see your dream. I was concerned when you failed to respond when I knocked on your door on six separate occasions a matter of minutes apart. It wasn’t until I couldn’t allow you to continue sleeping that I opened the door and used my water materia on you. I apologize if I crossed your boundaries.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Nah, you’re cool. No crossed boundaries.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>By the time Sephiroth returned with a glass of water, Ami had managed to shed her bed sheet cocoon and was debating if she should take a shower and change into a clean uniform.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Here,” Sephiroth said, offering the glass with an amused expression, still having refused to cross the threshold to her bedroom.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thanks,” she replied before taking a deep gulp of water, “I must have managed to get drunk. I hope I didn’t do anything embarrassing.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And if you did?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I might die of embarrassment.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Then I probably shouldn’t tell you that Genesis started to record you the moment he noticed that you were obviously drunk.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh god.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He’ll probably show you if you ask nicely.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I swear, you and Genesis are gonna be the death of me.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hardly,” he said before scoffing, “although you may wish you were dead before the day’s through.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Do I have enough time to get cleaned up?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Always. As my student, your appearance reflects upon me. Angeal’s already gotten breakfast started. Unless you intentionally attempt to use up all the hot water, it should be done by the time you’re ready,” he explained with a slight smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Right,” she said with a nod as she saw him turn to leave, “thank you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“For?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So far, everything but the hazing and the stabbing.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She saw the amusement in his eyes, a world or two of difference from the version of him she’d seen from her dream. This Sephiroth, the master hazer, insanely prepared, the dry sarcasm, the clear empathy, the one who seemed to laugh easily off duty, was so far removed from the creature of anger and rage, vengeance and wrath that she even wondered if his fall was just a part of a story and the tragedy would never happen because that was a story and this wasn’t. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She went off to take a shower now that everything seemed settled and she was feeling less dehydrated. She got a full handful of shampoo, ready to wash her thick and mildly long hair when all she felt was stubble on her scalp. Even if she knew that it was just hair and that it would grow back, she still had a deep feeling of having been violated. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘Bright side, I have less to wash.’</span>
  </em>
  <span> She focused on washing her body, her attention focused on the activity. She smirked as her hand went over her newest scar, practically over her lung. And then she noticed a new set of scars she didn’t remember gaining and frowned. It was in the shape of two purple lines of scar tissue, one vertical which started at the base of her neck and ended just above her belly button. The horizontal one went from one side to the other, across her abdomen. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘Hojo must have taken a look-see,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> she thought as her feeling of having been violated only increased to the point that she had to jump out of the shower to puke into the toilet. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Are you okay?’</span>
  </em>
  <span> she felt him telepathically ask.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘No and I won’t be for a while,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> she responded as her body jerked again with a new wave, this time just dry heaving.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Is it physical?’</span>
  </em>
  <span> he asked and she knew his implication since that had come through with the question.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Just feeling violated,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> she responded quietly as the dry heaves ended and she was gasping for air, </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘it’ll pass.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘I’m sorry I failed,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> he mentally sent before ending the conversation.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She crawled back in the shower to finish washing up, seeing new scarred tissue on top of the older scarred tissue from when she had to have some of her leg bones replaced with titanium. She wondered if that had changed or left alone. She’d figure that out eventually. She turned off the shower before patting herself dry and looked at the fresh uniform and frowned. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She’d worn the uniform completely without undergarments the previous day and had no desire to do so again. She found that there was a first aid kit in her bathroom and found a roll of gauze and an elastic bandage and debated. She decided to layer the two, wrapping her chest with the gauze first and tying it at the side before loosely wrapping the elastic bandage on top of the gauze. She admired the handiwork in the mirror, noticing that it had the effect of masking the little breast she had on her. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘I think I’ll do this and forego a bra,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> she thought to herself with a small sense of pride in her work. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘I’m really feeling like Mulan now. Girl lost in a sea of testosterone. In which case, Sephiroth would be Shang.’</span>
  </em>
  
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That just gave her inner nerdy fangirl too much ammo as she now had the mental image of Sephiroth singing and just died laughing as the song was stuck in her head now. She caught herself humming as she finished getting dressed. She was humming along to the song as she opened the door, coming face to face with Sephiroth, who looked like he’d been half a second from knocking on the door.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Nice to see that you’re in higher spirits,” he said with some amusement and raised eyebrows.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Just a bit. This whole situation reminded me of my favorite movie-- er-- story, I guess you--” she said before he raised his hand to tell her to be quiet.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We have movies here,” he said with a chuckle.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Even animated ones?” she asked with a smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Even animated ones, hand drawn and computer rendered,” he explained before heading back down the stairs.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Okay, what about video or computer games?” she asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Those exist as well,” he said with a chuckle, “it appears that there are many similarities between worlds.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Just means that there’s fewer differences to adjust to,” she said as they reached the kitchen.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Plates of food were arranged on a table and she noticed that there were enough places set for everyone, including her. It bothered her that they were clearly accepting her so easily and quickly. She knew she should be happy and thankful, but she couldn’t help but to go on the defensive, expecting it to be a trap. Angeal clearly noticed before Sephiroth did.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What’s wrong?” Angeal asked, looking at her with a look that made her look away.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Nothing,” she  said quietly, sitting at the table in the spot that hasn't been claimed and had an empty mug set out.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Okay,” Angeal said before the door opened.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Good morning, everyone!” Zack shouted, announcing his arrival in a  cheery manner.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>If she hadn’t already had a bit of a frown on her face, she would have one due to Zack’s cheery arrival. She was not a morning person and morning people were too bright and sunny far too early for her liking. Angeal clearly noticed her reaction.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Would you like some coffee?” Angeal asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh yes. Please,” she said, “is there creamer?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We’ve got chocolate and caramel,” Genesis said with a smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Chocolate, please,” she said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Once she’d gotten her mug almost half coffee and half creamer, she took a sip and smiled, “that hits the spot. Thanks.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After a few minutes, likely once she appeared more comfortable, Zack asked, “so what did people do for entertainment where you come from?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“From what Sephiroth told me earlier, it sounds pretty close to what everyone here does. Watch movies and tv shows, listen to music, read books, play video games, watch sports, theater…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That does sound very similar,” Angeal stated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What’s your favorite movie?” Zack asked, obviously eager to hear of new movies.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s a tie between several but the one I’ve been thinking more about lately is called ‘Mulan’. It’s about a young woman who finds that she can’t bring her family honor through conventional means as a woman. In the culture of the story, women bring their family honor through being matched with a proper man and produce sons and she failed the matchmaker’s tests. When her country fell under attack, the Emperor decreed that a man from each household must join the army to fend off the enemy. Since she’s an only child, the only one from her family that must join the army is her father who was forced to walk with a crutch due to an old war injury. That night, she steals her father’s armor and sword and takes her father’s place. Long story short, she succeeds, saves her country and becomes a hero and brings her family honor.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She wasn’t surprised that Angeal would be quite amused why the movie would be on her mind since it was almost a clear echo of what she was going through as a member of SOLDIER. Even Sephiroth was obviously amused. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That sounds like an amazing movie!” Zack exclaimed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I can see why it’s on your mind,” Angeal said in clear amusement, “especially the whole ‘sole woman in an army of men’ angle.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“If it gets too much, let us know,” Genesis said with a smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m used to guys,” Ami said with a grin, “I was a tomboy as a kid. While the other girls were playing with dolls, I’d be playing in mud, messing with insects, getting into fights with the idiot boys who thought I could never keep up since I was a ‘disgusting girl’. At least, whenever I was allowed outside or was free to do so,” she finished, her grin gone as she looked down into her coffee mug, “I either spent all the time outside and away from the house or kept in my bedroom or was elsewhere. My dad and stepmom wanted to pretend that I didn’t exist as much as possible.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She looked around after a quiet moment, seeing that the earlier bright mood turned a bit more serious and somber.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What about your mother?” Zack asked, quiet but hopeful.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I caught up to her once to verify the story I was told and that she really had left me on my father’s doorstep,” she said quietly, looking away, “she told me it was true because she never wanted me or loved me and it was the easiest way to remove me from her life.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s not right that she’d said things like that,” Angeal said quietly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry for bringing up painful memories,” Zack apologized, just as quietly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ami took a sip of her coffee before smiling at the memories which always came after the memories of the abuse and pain. They always made things feel better.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Don’t be sorry. They got what they deserved,” she said lightly as everyone grew concerned at her expression, “part of the graduation from apprentice to full enforcer is having one’s first kill. The new enforcer is allowed to target one or more individuals and they will be taken into custody and the new enforcer is allowed to kill them as they see fit. I selected three specific individuals.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She remembered each of them tied up to a chair apiece, unable to move as they slowly came to. She’d been sitting on the edge of a nearby table, her new weapons, her lengths of pipes next to each of her hands and beyond the pipes on the table were her new knives. She watched with excitement as they each looked curious and then angry.</span>
  <em>
    <span> ‘Let them be angry,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> she remembered thinking as they started to shout at her, but their shouts were muffled by the fabric in and over their mouths. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hush,” she remembered saying, putting a finger up to her mouth.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You selected the three people who hurt you the deepest, right?” Zack asked carefully.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She remembered sliding off the edge of the table, feeling victorious and wanting to savor her victory, her retribution. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“They say that one’s parents should attend one’s graduation,” she remembered saying as she echoed those same words to those who’d welcomed her but she wouldn’t fall into the trap of considering them her friends, “I thought it was fitting.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She remembered the looks of confusion on the three adults’ faces before she picked up her pipes and went to work. She remembered how it felt when the pipes struck flesh and bone and the sounds of pain, fear, misery and broken bones. She remembered how effortlessly her knives had sliced through skin. She remembered stepping back to admire her handiwork.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So you killed them?” Angeal asked with a frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The three adults sat there, blood having soaked through their clothing from so many shallow cuts, their skin covered in bruises as their bones pressed against their skin unnaturally. The only sound being that of misery as they unblinkingly stared ahead, their heads slumped.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Knock, knock, anyone home?” she remembered asking as she used the pipes to lift their heads by the chin, seeing that there was nothing left behind their eyes, “I see. I guess it’s time to take out the trash.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She smiled at Angeal before saying, “eventually. After their psyches broke and there was nothing left of their minds.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She saw Zack rub his arms as if he was cold. Angeal stared at her with what looked like a disappointed stare, as if he was staring at a kid who’d done something wrong. Sephiroth clearly avoided making eye contact with her as Genesis simply looked down into his coffee.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You guys are acting like I’d done something horrible,” she said with a frown, bothered by the fact that they were clearly uncomfortable. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘You’ve done it again, Ami. Alienated people who wanted to get to know you,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> a voice in her head chided, a part of her who wanted nothing but to be accepted, even after all the pain and betrayals. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘Let them be alienated. What use are those who won’t accept you as you truly are?’ </span>
  </em>
  <span>asked another voice, the one coming from the black pit within her mind she tried so very hard to pretend didn’t exist, the same pit that she cast into all the things she disagreed with about herself.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s because you did,” Angeal said with a frown, “you killed your own family.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I killed the ones who abused and traumatized me. They never showed me even a tiny glimmer of love or compassion. Are they truly family in that case?” Ami asked quietly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Looks like she’s as much of a mess as Sephiroth is,” Genesis said quietly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Worse,” Sephiroth said, having twitched from Genesis’s comment, “I’ve never tortured anyone, nor do I have a desire to.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, my appetite’s gone,” Zack stated with a frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“As is mine,” Sephiroth said with a sigh.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She looked around as everyone else set aside her dishes and frowned. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Okay, clearly I said or done something wrong,” she said carefully, “can I get an explanation so that I don’t make the same mistake again?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You talked about not just murdering, but torturing the people you should love. And not just that but in a way that said that you enjoyed it and look back on it fondly,” Angeal explained, still disapproving, “and you have no remorse nor do you see it as wrong.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ami jumped to her feet, suddenly shouting out of pain and hurt as tears started to fall. “So you’re saying that I should love the people who abuse and torture me? The ones who called me worthless and told me every day I lived with them how I’m unworthy of everything? The ones who told me that I’m just a mistake that they have to be responsible for? The ones who gave me the bare minimum of everything in my life? Those who blame me for having <strong>decided</strong> to be born? Those people? Why should I feel remorse for those who tortured me without remorse themselves?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ami,” Angeal said quietly as he stood up and slowly moved towards her, “I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I know,” she said quietly before everyone followed Angeal’s lead.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ami quickly found herself in the middle of a group hug with everyone hugging her or touching her shoulder.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Everything’s gonna be better now,” Zack said quietly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re as far away from that as one could possibly get,” Angeal said, clearly trying to reassure her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“ ‘You are beloved by the goddess Hero of the dawn, Healer of worlds’,” Genesis said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She inwardly held back a groan at the fact that of course, Genesis would quote Loveless at a time like this. And she wasn’t supposed to know what it is. Or of Genesis’ penchant for quoting from the book.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Really, Genesis? Really?” Zack asked with a groan, “quoting Loveless at a time like this?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s okay, he means well,” Ami said with a smile, “although, if it does get on everyone’s nerves too much, we could stage an intervention. Anyways, thanks guys.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Everyone pulled away as what sounded like cell phones went off. She saw everyone pull out what looked to be flip phones and turned off what was clearly an alarm. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Duty calls,” Angeal said with a smile before looking to Sephiroth, “I’ve got the Training Room for an hour starting at eleven hundred hours, if you want to see about having Zack and Ami spar.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m down for that,” Ami said with a smile, stretching her arms.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Could be interesting,” Zack said with a smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We will see how things play out. We’ve got an hour at the Materia Range and then an hour at the firing range starting at nine hundred,” Sephiroth explained.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We all know I know how to shoot a gun,” Ami said with a smirk.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“At close range and without much in the way of aiming,” Sephiroth said evenly, “I want to see if you can hit a proper target outside point blank range. Any idiot could have shot me at the range you were at.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“When I shot you, by any chance I might have also got you right in the ego as well?” Ami asked with a grin.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hardly. It was an easy shot and a desperation tactic,” he said evenly, “it doesn’t show me whether or not you have any skill with firing guns.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“SOLDIERs rely on swords, don’t they?” Ami asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“In a battle, you’ll be expected to know how to handle all weapons. Not every situation can be handled with a sword,” he said with a smile, “and I intend to figure out where your proficiencies lie today so I know exactly what needs to be worked on outside of regulations.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Together, everyone left Sephiroth’s apartment and went together to the parking garage and then went their own way. She was vaguely amused by the fact that they’d all arrived and left on motorcycles. She was surprised when she wasn’t led to where the motorcycles were but to where a sleek black car sat, looking fairly nondescript to her eyes, but she wasn’t that knowledgeable about cars. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Once she realized that they were going to travel by car, she stopped so she could check under Sephiroth’s car and the vehicles to either side before checking the back seat on her way to the passenger side door. The whole time, she saw his expression of curiosity as she noticed that the seat belts were similar to what she was used to and buckled up without a problem.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Mind explaining why you checked under my car and the vehicles to either side?” Sephiroth asked evenly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Safety check,” she stated, getting a blank look from Sephiroth. “Basic woman safety protocols to avoid getting preyed upon by men.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She could see a deep frown forming on his face.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Your world sounds dangerous,” he stated with a frown as he shifted gears and drove out of the parking lot since he had the habit of having his car facing outward from the parking spot for ease of escape.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Only cause I’m a chick,” she responded, “men have ruled my world for thousands of years, going so far as to insert passages in one of the main religions of my world to make women unclean and chattel. In the last century, women have started to gain more rights and privileges, but it’s not enough. Women of my world, particularly within the section of it I lived in, are raised by culture to be survivors. We have to survive men. So many of them believe that they’re entitled to have a woman to have intercourse with and that all women exist to worship them. It feels like every month, there’s a new news story where a woman is killed by a man she’d said ‘no’ to. Back when I was in school, me and my friends felt like we were soldiers behind enemy lines without a hope of rescue because of how much it felt like culture was stacked against us. Of course, some of that is simply because we were the misfit outcasts.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She blinked before frowning and said, “I’m sorry for talking your ears off.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s important for me to understand where you’re from,” he stated calmly with a dark expression, “I can understand your hesitation about living with me and how you initially seemed to be concerned about being around my friends last night.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Once I felt that I was safe, I relaxed,” she stated with a smile, “I think I’m as safe as I’m gonna get while around you and your friends. If you don’t mind my asking sir, is there a reason we’re going by car today?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“After work, we’re going to go and get you a proper wardrobe and everything else you need that I’ve failed to provide or take into account,” he said evenly, “I didn’t want to start rumors if anyone saw me buying womens’ undergarments.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Like rumors wouldn’t start when they see us together?” she asked with an arched eyebrow.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“True. We might be able to do a formal announcement to quell the rumors. Set you up as an already established Third. Although, the media may wind up gravitating toward you simply because you’re an underdog - a woman making her way in a male-oriented military force. They did the same thing years ago with the first woman Turk. It would also make Shinra look more progressive as well. Hm. I might have to bring it up with Director Lazard later.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘It’s starting to really feel weird. Just where do the similarities end?’</span>
  </em>
  <span> she thought before Sephiroth started discussing regulations, a discussion that lasted the rest of the ride to the Shinra Building.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : : .</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Author’s Note: 1/11/21</p><p>So I wrote everything up to where Ami goes and takes a shower while dealing with sleep deprivation. I didn’t know why I threw in the dream/vision, but I did and it became too much of a darling to excise it. I had it end there because I couldn’t come up with a good enough insult that would make sense. Just the image of Ami telling him to more or less ‘tell him a “yo mama” joke’ makes me chuckle too much. </p><p>Though I realize that the dream/vision isn’t much of a surprise since I’m fairly certain that it was obvious that there will be a meeting between crazy Sephiroth and a saner Sephiroth. The toddlers mentioned are going to appear in the second major arc and I already know that I love them and I can’t wait to actually write them. The scene where they meet some of the characters from this arc, one of them is like “aww, they’re adorable! Can I keep one?” (the answer is a unanimous “no” from everyone else). Even Sephiroth isn’t immune to their charms. </p><p>I also don’t know why I wrote Sephiroth as having issues not speaking in snark when off-duty or otherwise relaxed. </p><p>I’m iffy about her sudden shifts in mood although a lot of it is in reaction to things or some deep-seated issues (she’s starting to feel/think that everyone being friendly and accepting is them setting her up when they’re being friendly and accepting because she’s Sephiroth’s student and thus is now going to be a large part of their friend’s life) and probably a good deal of self-sabotage. </p><p>BtV Trivia Time: This chapter boasts the highest kill count in a single chapter so far with 4 deaths. This record won’t hold, however. I don’t know when it will be but there’s a planned chapter involving a massive army. I won’t say more than that.</p><p>As an aside: I saw some clips of FF7 remake and two voices in particular drive me insane because it’s not the voices I’m expecting to hear when those two characters speak. I wish they used the CC voice actors for those two voices. Everyone else I’ve heard sounds fine but those two bother me in particular. Also I spoiled myself with the ending and was grinning the whole time.</p><p>Laters!<br/>~Gregora</p><p>Next Time on BtV: Ami goes through her first full day as Sephiroth’s student. Will she survive?</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Ami's First Day Part 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Ami's morning of materia and marksmanship training. Sephiroth finds himself in a tough spot, courtesy of Hojo.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Disclaimer: I don’t own squat except for Ami. I’m just playing in Square-Enix’s sandbox, yo. Also, I need feedback and lots of since I know I’m not perfect and if things don’t mesh or match up, I welcome advice. Anyways, on with the story!</p><p>Trigger Warning: guns, explosions, implied/references to rape</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Chapter Seven</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ami stood in what she swore looked like someone had decided to bring what almost looked like a tennis court inside the building and gave the room what looked to be concrete walls. There were a few differences though. First of all, it was easily the size of a football field and the wall and ground had scorch marks, cracks, and bits missing. It almost looked like it had been through multiple wars. She looked around, getting a feel for the area as she continued to follow Sephiroth.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Okay, first lesson,” he said, completely serious and coldly professional, “I want you to hand me the Fire materia from your case.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She set the case down so that nothing would fall out and opened it. There were six green materia and three yellow materia nestled in the foam of the case. She didn’t know what to look for other than it would be one of the green materia. She closed her eyes and tried to focus on any sensations she perceived. She touched one and she resisted the urge to shiver.</span>
  <em>
    <span> ‘Blizzard,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> she thought, moving onto the next one. She felt goosebumps on her skin and the feeling of getting shocked by static electricity. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘Thunder,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> she thought as she removed her hand. The next one gave her the feeling of being soothed. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘Willing to guess that’s Cure.’</span>
  </em>
  <span> The next one almost felt warm to the touch and she smiled to herself. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘Bingo.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I think this one’s fire,” she said, holding it up and handing it off to Sephiroth.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He held it in his hand for a moment before handing it back, “so far, so good. Now for the next part of our lesson. Let’s see you use it. Focus on drawing out the power within and throwing it at the wall over there.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She nodded and held the small marble sized orb in her hand and focused. She started to feel heat traveling up her arm and stared at the wall. She visualized a fireball forming in her opposite hand. She glanced over to that hand and saw that there was in fact a fireball there. She pulled her arm back and threw the fireball as if it was a baseball. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Not bad for a beginner,” he said with some amusement, “now that we know you can hit a wall, we can move to a smaller target.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t like where this is going, sir,” she said with a frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I want you to go to the far end of the range and throw as much Fire at me as you can. This way, I can get a good grasp of your aim and endurance,” he said with a small smirk.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And if I hurt you, sir?” she asked, frowning.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“First of all, your materia is completely fresh, so it’s at its weakest. Second, I can block the spells and keep them from hitting me. Third, if I do get a little singed, it will give you to opportunity to learn how to use your Cure materia,” he said with a scoff, “besides, I’m surprised you’re worried about harming me after what happened at the end of our fight.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Right,” she said with a nod before doing just as she was told and walked to the far end of the range. “Ready?” she called out once she got into position.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She saw him give her a curt nod and she started to call forth fireballs, finding that it was getting both easier and harder to do with each one. Easier because she got a better grasp on it and was starting to fling the Fire spells at a faster pace. However, it was getting harder to do because she was starting to feel the toll of all those spells. And her aim was getting better. She went a bit wide the first time and then drew closer until she figured out the aim. Then he started to hit the fireballs with the Masamune as if they were playing baseball.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And then he started to hit them in a way which instead of slicing the balls in half, made them change direction right at her. She’d managed to duck, but felt the heat of the fireball through her bare scalp as it flew past her head.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oi!” she shouted, “what was that for?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Start throwing them to hit the ones I reflect at you,” he responded.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re kidding,” she let out a sigh, seeing his completely calm expression that told her that he was being completely serious. “Okay, worst’ll happen is I get hurt.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“If you get seriously hurt from such a low level materia, then you’ll have no business being in SOLDIER,” he stated, going into a defensive position with Masamune at the ready.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She threw a fireball at him and as expected, he sent it flying back at her and she tried to throw a new one at it but missed the timing and got hit in the face, the impact actually hurting but more like she’d touch a slightly too hot frying pan than being set on fire. It didn’t mean it didn’t hurt.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Try again,” he stated, “this time, focus on your target. If you worry too much about getting hit, you’re going to get hit.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She nodded and closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She opened her eyes and flung a fireball at him. As before, he reflected it back at her at the same angle, which meant it was taking the same path to her as it did coming from her. The moment she recognized the angle of Masamune from the last two times, she flung a second fireball the same way she just had. The two fireballs met and created a small but flashy explosion.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Adequate,” he said with a nod, “if you can do it four more times, we’ll move on with the lesson.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She already felt exhausted enough that she was willing to just admit that she wanted to take a nap. She kept that hidden, far from the levels of thought he usually heard or paid attention to. Fortunately, as she followed Sephiroth into the firearms range, the tiredness was more mental than physical. She admitted that it was almost comforting that the firearms range looked similar enough to the Earth equivalent and she’d spent an awful lot of time in shooting ranges back on Earth.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>This time, he carried a single case, likely allowing her to use his own equipment for now. She welcomed the challenge. He checked them both in and gave a list of ammo they were going to need during their visit. She smiled, hearing a lot of the familiar types. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘Now this is more like it,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> she thought with a smile. As Sephiroth was handed boxes of ammo, he passed them over to her to hold and she smiled, seeing that they were about to have quite the fun time.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She followed him as he led her to one of the larger tables and set down the case on the table. She set down the stack of boxes before he moved his head in the gesture she’d learned meant that she was expected to follow. She followed wordlessly, reaching a locker that he opened, revealing additional equipment. He passed her a pair of tinted goggles and earmuffs before grabbing a pair of the same and what looked to be a rifle case.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Do you want to start easy or more difficult?” he asked simply as he led her back to the table.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m willing to go for difficult first, sir,” she said with a smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Good,” he said, opening the rifle case and checking to make sure that the safety was still on and it was still unloaded before setting it on the table, “what can you tell me about this rifle?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Using terms I’m familiar with, it looks like a bolt-action. I’ve disassembled and reassembled something similar with a personal best of six minutes and thirty-two and a half seconds,” she said with a smile, “first time I fired one like this back home, it knocked me on my ass. My shoulder was bruised for a few days. It’s loud, got a hell of a kick, and is a reliable piece of equipment. At least the one I’m familiar with is.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He uttered an amused scoff before saying, “let’s see how well you do. Disassemble and reassemble it. I’ll be timing you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She nodded and waited for him to tell her when to start. He smirked at her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What are you waiting for? I’ve already started timing you,” he said, quite definitely amused. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Jerk,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> she thought sourly before starting to go through the motions of verifying safety and that it was quite definitely unloaded. Her fingers worked almost mindlessly as she noticed that it had similar places and methods used in the bolt action rifle she’d used. She set all the pieces down once it was disassembled, getting a nod to show that it was disassembled before reassembling it, moving in the opposite direction before setting the now reassembled rifle back on the table, pointed at no one. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“A bit slower than the ‘personal best’ you boasted of, but respectable,” he said with a nod, “let’s see if you can hit a target with it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She nodded, grabbing the rifle, making sure the muzzle never was pointed even in the general direction of anyone. She foregone the protection equipment since she was used to firing such a weapon without them. He raised an eyebrow at her but didn’t say anything. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She’d gone through ten rounds in quick procession, noticing that it didn’t have as much of a kick as what she was used to. She was the sort to prefer accuracy over quantity and took just long enough to ensure clean shots. The bullets tore through the paper target and she smiled at herself as she saw the results.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Feeling accomplished?” he asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes, sir. Just got a personal best,” she said with a smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Trade places,” he stated as a new paper target was in place and she passed the rifle over to Sephiroth.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Not even two minutes later, she felt that she needed to pick her jaw off the floor. He’d gone through ten rounds in less time than she had and had been far more accurate. A tiny part of her was scared. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘And here I thought he was deadly with Masamune.’</span>
  </em>
  
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’ve had more training and practice, sir,” she stated with a slight frown, “with all due respect, you comparing our current capabilities is hardly fair since I’m just starting out.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I didn’t mean to give you the idea that this was a competition,” he said with a frown, “I merely wanted a turn. Now, it’s your turn.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sorry for --” she started to say before he cut her off.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I understand that it might have appeared like I was turning this into a competition,” he said, “let’s move on.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As she took another turn with the rifle, he started to interrupt her between rounds but only to give her pointers, methods to improve her aim. It made her feel more comfortable. They then moved to other guns, the first turn being without feedback and pointers and the subsequent turns being him working on her aim. She realized there was a pattern.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I think I understood your pattern,” she said quietly as she worked on cleaning and maintaining the rifle as he worked on the other guns, splitting the work evenly, “the first turn’s a benchmark. To see how well I am at the start so that you can more accurately gauge my improvement. And you also really wanted as many turns as I got.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Precisely,” he said, putting the handgun he’d finished up with back into the padded case.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I feel like a bit of an idiot, sir,” she said quietly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You hardly behaved like an idiot. You had a valid concern and I appreciate the fact that you were courageous enough to bring them up to me directly,” he said calmly, “it’s actually a quality I try to look for.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“More than combat ability or following regs, sir?” she asked, starting to relaxedly reassemble the rifle.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Combat ability, marksmanship, regulations… that is a product of training,” he said, “one could train someone who can’t hit a paper target into an adequate sniper. Integrity like that can’t be trained. And when you’re me, most people think I’d rather hear what they think I want to hear and not the truth.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She looked at him, swearing that she was seeing something new to her. She was starting to feel more comfortable with the idea of training under him and generally being around him. She turned back to what she was doing, things starting to settle in her mind. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>By the time they were on their way to meet up with Angeal and Zack, she felt completely beat. That didn’t mean that she wasn’t willing to push herself and spar. They walked in, seeing that the training room looked almost like an arena. Angeal was off to the side, watching Zack fight what she could have sworn was a Behemoth, giving Zack feedback the whole time. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I expect you to watch and learn,” Sephiroth stated as Angeal nodded at them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes, sir,” she responded, leaning against a wall as Sephiroth returned the nod.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Zack had also clearly noticed that they’d entered, seeing that he’d actually turned around to greet them. “Hey, Sephiro--”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He was interrupted when a paw of the Behemoth swiped at him, sending him flying.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Zack, focus,” Angeal stated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Do you know what mistake Zack just made?” Sephiroth asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Turned his back on an enemy,” she stated. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hopefully, you learn that lesson at Zack’s expense.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, gee, thanks, Seph,” Zack quipped as he approached the beast.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Honestly, I learned that lesson when I was six. Same as the lesson that kicking bullies between the legs ended most fights,” she commented with a smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That </span>
  <em>
    <span>would</span>
  </em>
  <span> be quite effective,” Sephiroth stated, knowing that likely only Angeal would have caught his slight discomfort and that he was thankful she hadn’t gotten into fisticuffs range when they’d fought.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After what Sephiroth felt was far too long to put down a simple beast, Zack finally was able to defeat the Behemoth. He was willing to bet that based on Ami’s proven combat ability in their fight, she’d likely take less time than Zack had spent. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘He’d have won sooner if he had any focus.’ </span>
  </em>
  <span>Before he could ask Angeal to let Ami fight one, his PHS rang. He let out a sigh and looked at the caller ID. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘What could he possibly need from me this time?’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Angeal gave him a meaningful look as he answered with a curt “what is it this time, Hojo?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Your… student... has gone through too much and needs rest,” Hojo stated, “her vitals show she’s on the edge of exhaustion.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He had to twitch at that implication.</span>
  <em>
    <span> ‘Hojo has a method of monitoring your vitals remotely,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> he telepathically sent to her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And what do you want me to do? I can’t coddle her like you seem to want me to do while training her as a SOLDIER. I went through harsher training than this and I recall you not just having no issues with it but </span>
  <b>encouraged</b>
  <span> it,” he responded with a frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“But she’s female!” Hojo screamed, “she’s predisposed for gentler things because of it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I hope for your sake that you never repeat those words in her presence,” he said with a menacing grin, “if you do, I can’t be held responsible for any lacerations, broken bones, or organ damage that may result.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He telepathically sent her what Hojo had just said and in response, knew that she was feeling quite self-assured and vaguely smug with the message of </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘damn right I would. Tempted to do so myself just knowing that he said that. I’d love to show him ‘predisposed for gentler things’, the sexist b-----d.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Regardless, she escaped before her body had fully accepted the injections. She’s not fully done. It will take time for her body to finish adjusting and accepting the treatment. As it is, if she’s to remain in your custody, you will need to come up to the lab so I can give you what she needs that isn’t rest,” Hojo said with a clear frown in his voice.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I will be on my way alone,” he said with a frown before ending the call.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What did he want?” Angeal asked with a deep frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He thinks she’s not yet ready to be trained and that her body still requires further injections to finish the process. He wants to give me the equipment to treat her myself and to let her get some rest,” he said with a frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That isn’t completely unreasonable,” Angeal said with a frown, “but be careful.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ll leave Ami under your supervision, Angeal,” Sephiroth said before turning towards the door.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Don’t worry, I’ll start teaching her everything I know,” Zack said with a grin.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Which is why I’m leaving her under Angeal’s supervision,” he said before leaving the room.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He was definitely not looking forward to the fact that he was seeing Hojo twice in as many days. It was enough to give him a near permanent stormy mood. He had to remind himself that this time, it wasn’t going to involve any “physicals” which left him feeling violated and drained. It was just to pick up injections for Ami’s well being. He doubted the necessity but it wasn’t like he had much choice involving picking it up. However, he knew he’d respect Ami’s bodily autonomy far more than Hojo would, giving her the option to decline.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The elevator doors parted for him and he stalked onto the floor, going to where he suspected the twisted scientist to be waiting for him. He found said scientist exactly there, at his desk.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m here. Let’s get it over with,” he stated with a slight sigh, glaring at Hojo.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Take that,” the scientist said, motioning to the small case in front of him, “She needs to take one in the morning and two at night. As soon as you get to her, give her the first dose. As soon as you run out, I’ll have the next batch ready.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And what’s in it?” he asked with a frown, not liking to do Hojo’s work for him but finding that he liked it less when he did so while being kept in the dark.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Company secret,” Hojo said with a smile as Sephiroth opened the case and frowned.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There were fifteen syringes, each holding some kind of compound which glowed like mako but was red. There was something about it which unsettled him and made his stomach churn. He closed the case and held it in his hand. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ll be back in five days for more,” he said before turning around to leave.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“There’s another thing I want to discuss with you,” Hojo said in the tone of voice he’d trained Sephiroth to obey.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He fought to hide the grin as he saw the young man turn around with a frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re aware that your student is as unique and special as you are,” he said with a smile, “so it goes without saying that any lives created from a combination of her genetics and your own may just be the start to a new generation of SOLDIER.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“She doesn’t appear to be interested in me,” Sephiroth said with a frown, “furthermore I--”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Whether she is or isn’t is of no consequence,” Hojo said, interrupting him, “you should be able to overpower her easily due to her gender. It shouldn’t be too hard to get the job done.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And if I refuse?” he said with a frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I have other methods at my disposal,” Hojo said with a grin which made him feel sick to his stomach.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Angeal frowned as Sephiroth entered the Training Room, seeing that his friend was far more troubled than usual after dealing with the scientist. He glanced over at Ami, seeing that she’d passed out sitting straight up on the floor. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘I felt much the same the first day of training,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> he remembered, </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘at least we’re not as harsh.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Seph,” he said, approaching his friend, “are you okay?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Okay?” his friend asked before laughing a dark, cynical, and sardonic laugh, “okay? How could I be after...”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Want to talk about it?” Angeal asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Without the kids,” Sephiroth said, nodding to the exit.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We’ll be right back, Zack,” Angeal said, seeing that Sephiroth had noticed that Ami had passed out.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hn,” he muttered as he turned away.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s normal that new Thirds aren’t exactly all there their first two weeks,” Angeal said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Except for me,” he said quietly as Angeal could see something almost like pain on his friends face.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Once they were outside, Sephiroth communicated through their gesture based language they knew was secure. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Hojo told me to rape Ami,’ Sephiroth signed as Angeal felt sick at that idea and had no issues showing it as he glanced at his friend with shock and horror. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘She deserves better,’ Angeal responded, ‘know what will happen if you don’t?’ </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He saw Sephiroth’s expression subtly turn angrier and sadder before responding, ‘Hojo implied in vitro.’ Angeal was surprised that he’d discovered a new level of disgust. ‘She’s not going to have a choice.’ </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He paused before asking, ‘what’s the plan/what are you going to do?’</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>‘If I didn’t know that he already has samples, I’d look into sterilization,’ his friend gestured with a look that told him that he was fighting away some really horrible memories. He assumed memories of how Hojo obtained the “samples”. ‘I’m lost,’ Sephiroth gestured with a sigh, ‘got any of that sage advice you’re usually overflowing with? Although if any of it involve the words ‘honor’, ‘discipline’, or ‘duty’, I’m unlikely to continue listening.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span> ‘Damn. I had a good one stored up too,’ Angeal gestured back, wanting to make his friend feel better before gesturing, ‘honestly, this is a tough spot. It may be best to focus on each day and on her training while working on a strategy/plan. He’s not going to make a move for a while, so we’ve got time to step back and work on things.’</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sephiroth merely nodded before the two of them returned to their respective students.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : : .</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Author’s Note: 1/13/21</p><p>Okay, so it’s been a while since I finished writing the previous chapter (2 days) and in that time, I didn’t stop working on BtV. My brain just refused to work on this part of the story, lol. My brain’s wanting to work on two different spots in the story - one roughly two years from this spot and one just over seven years (which I titled that section “The Price of Freedom” so prepare yourselves for that). Also I wrote a whole scene completely from Hojo’s perspective and it was both horrifying (he refers to Sephiroth and Ami not by name but by “the male specimen/star specimen” and “the female specimen”) but oddly entertaining. I was actually grinning but I think it’s because I was picturing him like Professor Tomoe from Sailor Moon - a silhouette with reflecting glasses and a huge grin. Also it took a lot of research, so yay.</p><p>Hopefully, my brain decides to play nice for the next chapter. Although, I admit that I’m debating working on a bonus chapter which goes over some of the events of the previous chapter. I also have a bonus chapter hanging unfinished which is Ami going “and this is paintball” and realizing that Sephiroth is the one person you don’t want to play paintball with. Let’s just say that it’s mildly unsettling when someone’s hiding in the trees and is laughing maniacally and can appear in the blink of an eye and disappear just as quickly. </p><p>Also, I started watching Hellsing Abridged by TFS and I’m enjoying what they did with Alucard. And I spoiled the end of FF7 Remake for myself and I have 0 regrets other than it’s odd hearing wildly different voices for Zack and Sephiroth. Though I admit that it seems that every time they do a new render for Sephiroth, they make him nicer to look at (I’m a weird fangirl, I want to just admire the pretty from a safe distance).</p><p>And I hurt myself today. I tripped while bringing the trash and recycling bins from the street and landed on the sidewalk on my elbow, effectively elbow dropping concrete. Instant bruise and unending pain/achiness and mild skinning of my elbow. </p><p>BtV Trivia: Angeal is definitely the “Team Parent” of the guys in this earlier section - he fills roles of Team Dad (disciplinarian, leads by example) and Team Mom (I see him as being the most sensitive and is not emotionally inept) and is the one Seph goes to when trying to figure out emotions or when he just needs advice. Angeal is definitely honored that Sephiroth prizes their friendship and above all trusts him to admit painful truths to. He’s pretty much the Camp Councilor and the referee of the guys. I can see that there are hints that some of the Team Mom duties may shift towards Ami once she feels more comfortable since she has no issues in calling out Sephiroth on things.</p><p>Laters!<br/>~Gregora</p><p>Next time on BtV: How is Sephiroth going to handle all the crap Hojo has put on him? (Probably run from it)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Ami's First Day Part 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Sephiroth takes Ami to a mall for lunch and shopping.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Disclaimer: I don’t own squat except for Ami. I’m just playing in Square-Enix’s sandbox, yo. Also, I need feedback and lots of since I know I’m not perfect and if things don’t mesh or match up, I’d like to know how to fix it. Anyways, on with the story!</p><p>Trigger Warning: injections</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Chapter Eight</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She was rather surprised when she found herself waking up on her own, having been placed on a couch, settled into a comfortable resting position. She’d have assumed that Sephiroth would have woken her up once he’d come back from meeting with Hojo. She let out a yawn before sitting up. Before she could look around for him, she heard his voice from nearby.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I see you’re awake,” he stated before standing up from the chair he’d been sitting in, stowing his phone.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sorry for crashing like that,” she apologized, jumping to her feet.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I hear it’s normal for fresh Thirds to be easier to exhaust during their first two weeks,” he stated evenly, “usually, they’re not allowed to take naps like you were. However, since you’re not officially a Third, it should be allowable.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There was something that bothered her. She didn’t know what it was, but something about his demeanor worried her. He gave her a small smile before he spoke.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Seeing as how it’s past the time I was planning for us to have lunch, we should probably get that squared away,” he said, standing up, “is there anything you’re in the mood to eat?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She frowned, thinking. What did she feel like eating? The only food that came to mind was a nice mild curry right on top of some lightly flavored rice. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘I see,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> she could hear him telepathically say with some amusement. She glanced over, seeing him stand up from where he’d been sitting and gave her the motion that she’d learned meant that she was to follow him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She followed him all the way to the point that they were in full sight of his car when she stopped and crouched down to look under the car. It wasn’t something she consciously done, just something she did every time she approached a car in a parking garage. She’d done the same that morning, but something was different.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She saw something about his expression turn a bit dark yet said as he turned away and climbed in. Without a further word and forcing herself to disregard her usual safety protocols, she climbed in, mildly concerned about the silence from him. But she didn’t dare talk about it until they were underway, going to wherever they were going. Everything just seemed to be suddenly different. Earlier, there hadn’t been this kind of feeling, like everything was now tense. Earlier, she’d gotten the feeling that she could just talk to him but now, it felt like he was closed off and unavailable. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Are you okay, sir?” she asked quietly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No but I don’t feel comfortable talking to you about it,” he stated evenly, focusing completely on the road even if he was driving much slower and less recklessly than he had that morning.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Just… please talk to someone about it. Like Angeal,” she advised quietly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Already have,” he said with a faint air of amusement before frowning, “can you drop it?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I was about to,” she said quietly, looking out of the window, “I saw that you were putting down a boundary. I… know how it’s like when someone ignores and disregards your boundaries.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And I will always respect yours as well,” he said, putting a lot more emotion and sheer willpower into those words, “I promise.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She glanced over at him, seeing how his eyebrows were furrowed and his eyes were focused with laser intensity on the road. She turned her head to look out the passenger side windows, seeing large billboards with advertisements on the roadside and chuckled a little.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hm?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, just saw something that was all over my world,” she said, “it amused me. Back where I’m from, ya couldn’t go more than a few intersections on the arterials without seeing a billboard for who knows what. Whatever it was advertising, it always involved either food, booze, or partial images of the female body in the design.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Do you miss it? Your world?” he asked quietly, “in some ways, it sounds worse than here.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Honestly, I don’t know,” she said quietly before letting out a sigh. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hm?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s just that we’ve only known each other what? A day added up?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Roughly,” he said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And I’ve told you and the guys more about my past than I’ve ever had told anyone,” she said quietly, “and… I worry.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“About?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Setting myself up for disaster,” she said quietly, “I don’t usually trust easily but… I don’t know.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It could be that you know that I hold your freedom in my hands,” he said quietly, “that I’m tasked to be your warden, so to speak.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Better you than Hojo,” she said, glancing over to him with a smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’d hope so,” he said with a small smile as they turned off of the arterial and onto another.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I mean, you’re far more pleasant to be around even if you do sometimes come off as unapproachable and maybe a touch chilly,” she said with a smile, “but the fact that you’re patient with me makes all the difference.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Is it a problem that I am, as you put it, ‘unapproachable and maybe a touch chilly’?” he asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Not really,” she said, pausing before saying, “let me rephrase: not anymore. It was a bit of an issue at first. I mean, you had that look that told me that you were ready to kill me when I first saw you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s because I was.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Which means I’m getting better at reading people then,” she said with a grin.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You have trouble reading people?” he asked with a slight frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And knowing social rules. You might be surprised, but I’m pretty socially inept. I don’t know if it’s my… genetic quark, or if it’s because I spent so much time either secluded or avoiding social interaction by choice,” she said, looking away before laughing.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hm?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Just the idea that out of just about anyone from my world, he wound up with me. I’m more than one standard deviation away from what people back there considered ‘normal’. Different enough that all the differences have been catalogued, pathologized, and labeled. Back there, anything abnormal was considered wrong. Something to be fixed or cured. Or labeled a disease. To be different in any way was to be a pariah,” she said quietly, “Hojo wound up with another world’s washed up failure that couldn’t do anything right but fight and kill. I can’t help but to find some humor in that.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m certain there’s more to your skill set than that,” he said gently before she could hear his tone lightening up a bit, “you pulled out your harmonica while you were drunk last night and serenaded us.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re kidding me,” she said, sinking into the seat, hoping that the seat could swallow her whole, “please tell me that I didn’t sound too awful.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It was pleasant to listen to,” he said diplomatically, “at least at first. After a few more drinks, you were having trouble holding it properly and decided to sing.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Please tell me this is you getting me back for something,” she said with a frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’d rather it be a lie?” he asked, now quite definitely amused.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’d rather believe that I didn’t make a complete idiot of myself while under the influence,” she said quietly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It was amusing especially considering that it barely required any nudging from Genesis. He tends to egg people on a bit when alcohol is involved for no other reason than to get everyone to laugh and embarrass the individual when they wake up the next morning,” he said with a smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sounds like you don’t mind it,” she said lightly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t. I only mind it if I’m the target,” he said with a slight chuckle, “though usually, Zack’s his favorite target. Not that he minds or takes much to start goofing off.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, he seems like a fun person to be around,” she admitted, “and Angeal seems like he’s you guys’ parent or elder brother.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And has obviously accepted you into our group, but I already knew he would. I told the group about you being assigned to me that evening. The whole celebration was already planned on in advance, we just hadn’t planned on the restaurant,” he stated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I should do something for the group some time,” she mused, looking out the window before sighing again.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Is it my turn to ask if you’re okay?” he asked after she’d sighed again.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s just that…” she said quietly, “the last time I had friends, I was sixteen. And it ended badly.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Do you mind describing how it ended badly?” he asked quietly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t feel comfortable talking about it right now,” she said, looking out of the passenger side window, seeing tall office-like buildings pass by, “I just… thought that I dealt with the pain already. It’s been roughly five years and it hasn’t bothered me until recently.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s likely due to being pulled from your world and finding yourself surrounded by people who want to be your friends,” he stated with a frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ll adjust. It just might take me a little while,” she said quietly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You have until you officially make Third. Then I expect you to behave like one,” he stated with a slight edge.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes, sir,” she responded with a slight smile, “and again, thank you for your patience.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ve seen worse with some of the Thirds that were forced through,” he stated quietly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Forced through?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Not everyone in SOLDIER are volunteers,” he stated quietly as he they passed an overhead sign with arrows and names she wasn’t familiar with, “some are forced into it unwillingly.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Like me,” she said quietly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I wasn’t given an option either,” he stated neutrally as if he was simply reciting a fact.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He allowed the conversation to end there, peripherally aware that Ami was wiping her tears and taking deep breaths. ‘She doesn’t deserve any of this,’ he thought to himself as he felt his jaw tighten, ‘I swear I’ll make this as pleasant as possible for her without compromising her training.’</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Can I ask you something, sir?” Ami asked after a few moments.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Always,” he said, feeling amused that even in private, she still called him ‘sir’, “and we’re in private and technically off duty. You don’t have to call me ‘sir’, Ami. Or I might have to refer to you as ‘cadet’.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I just don’t want to slip up and accidentally call you by name when on duty in front of everyone,” she said with some amusement.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t unduly punish people for honest mistakes. I’ve found that a cold glare or a disapproving look is enough most times for slight mistakes. As conduct is more troublesome, I progress to sit-ups, reprimands, additional duties, and only in extreme cases do I make a formal report to Lazard concerning highly serious misconduct. The fact that things concern you tell me that your… previous place of employment was harsher.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Since I was the boss’s adopted daughter, I got off easy in terms of the upper limit of punishment. That doesn’t mean that every slight mistake didn’t come with a punishment. Not to mention that the process of being trained was emotionally and psychologically taxing. I found out that the boss even went so far as to tell the one training me to make it as difficult as possible on me to force me to give up,” Ami said before smirking.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hm. That saves a lot of time in training you then,” he stated, “we’ll have to see how well you do tomorrow. I’ve reserved two hours in the training room for us.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I can’t wait,” Ami said with a grin before asking, “what will be my equipment loadout for the training? Also, when can I get my knives, daggers, and pistols back?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Director Scarlet has them and it’s up to whether or not she’s willing to give them up,” he stated, feeling a bit sore over that because he knew he’d be particularly upset if he had Masamune taken from him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I see. Besides, even if I get them back, they’re hardly standard issue equipment,” she stated lightly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Exceptions are usually made for the sake of performance,” he stated as the car entered a garage complex.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Where are we going?” Ami asked with a frown, not recognizing the complex.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“To the biggest mall in Midgar,” Sephiroth said with a slight smile, “you should be able to find everything you need here as well as getting a scope on the local culture. We’ll start with lunch.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ami felt like she was back on Earth as she walked into the mall. She saw the usual kinds of people - adults with kids, children who’d either been allowed free reign or had escaped the watchful eye of their adult, a few solitary teenagers doing solitary teenager things, and whole gaggles of laughing teenaged girls. She had to pinch herself. The only difference was the advertisements, the fliers, and the name of the shops. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘So they had places like this where you’re from,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> she heard Sephiroth say telepathically with some amusement. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>You figured that out due to the volume of my thoughts?’</span>
  </em>
  <span> she asked.</span>
  <em>
    <span> ‘</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>No, your expression. And the fact that you pinched yourself.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“The food court is this way,” he stated as he led the way, completely ignoring the fact that people had definitely noticed them. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Or rather, they’d noticed <strong>him</strong>. Whispers seemingly came from everywhere and she wanted to slink away. She’d caught herself looking for an escape from the whispers. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘Don’t. You’re not just a SOLDIER, but also my student. Act like it.’</span>
  </em>
  <span> She took a deep breath and continued to follow him, feeling completely uncomfortable.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What’s that Third doing with him?” she’d caught a whisper.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He’s kinda cute too in that boyish way,” she’d heard someone else say.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Oh, if only you knew,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> she’d caught herself thinking in amusement. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She spared a glance over at Sephiroth, seeing that all the attention and whispers rolled off of him like water off a duck. It was like he was the calm center while everything was happening around him. She just had to keep breathing and keep walking. As she kept an eye on her surroundings, she noticed that most of the people whispering were women and they were definitely staring at him in a way that made her feel uncomfortable. And she wasn’t the target of all of it. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘They’re eyeing him like he’s nothing but a cut of meat to them,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> she thought with a frown.</span>
  <em>
    <span> ‘Oh like you’re not guilty,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> came the response of her inner fangirl.</span>
  <em>
    <span> ‘I haven’t oogled him like </span>
  </em>
  <b>
    <em>that</em>
  </b>
  <em>
    <span>.’ ‘This morning,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> her inner fangirl said, reminding her of the… rather interesting angle she’d seen him in. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘That was once. Besides, I figure if I oogle pictures of him, it’s different from doing the same to him. He’s far more than a pretty face… and gorgeous body,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> she thought to herself, hoping that he was so not listening in or had seen the signs that this was not something for him to even acknowledge. Which made her feel really uncomfortable because she had a really bad feeling that he’d just bring it up at the best/worst possible time. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So what’s the plan after this?” Ami asked before taking a sip of her soda.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I figure I could accompany you while we go through stores for things that wouldn’t be uncomfortable or odd shopping for together. And once that’s done, I’m going to let you go do any shopping you’d rather do alone,” he stated evenly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’ll be letting me off the leash?” she asked, her eyebrows raised in surprise, “aren’t you worried that I’ll run off?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“If you run, you won’t be able to get very far before you’re caught and there will be consequences,” he said evenly, “I’m expected to keep you in line and I will endeavor to do so because it will reflect upon me. The way I see it, it’s a trust building exercise.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She nodded with a frown as her mind went through the likely consequences and determined that it just might be in her best interests to go along with everything for the time being. She did not want to deal with an angry or perturbed Sephiroth. Especially one who could and would put her through hell if he so chose.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Got a list of places in mind for the first half?” she asked, curious.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“There’s a bookshop on the northeast corner of the bottom floor. I want to see if they have some books in that I’m after,” he stated, “you’re welcome to look around and select a few that you’re interested in.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“They do say that the best way to learn about a new culture is through their food and stories,” Ami said with a smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Do they now?” he asked with a trace of amusement, his eyebrows raising.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No. Mostly me, actually,” she said with a small smile. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I hear you and Seph had a fun day out on the city,” Angeal stated once dinner had gotten underway.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was the first time outside of breakfast that she’d sampled Angeal’s cooking. He’d made some sort of pasta dish with a vegetable based sauce which had chunks of simmered vegetables, reminding her of spaghetti. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I think fun’s an apt word,” Ami said with a grin.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Only because you managed to get a random hat on my head,” Sephiroth muttered with a halfhearted frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What kind of hat?” Zack asked, wanting to hear the story.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It was a pink rhinestone and lace monstrosity,” Sephiroth said with an amused expression, “I made sure to find an equally distasteful piece of headwear.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Careful Seph or they might think you’re dating,” Angeal said with some amusement.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And then you’ll have to deal with all the tears of your adoring fans,” Genesis joked, “both the sad and the angry.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“In which case, the fangirls might even think you’re batting for the other team if they haven’t started to wonder,” Ami commented with a chuckle, “I caught some whispers of some of them thinking I have a ‘boyish’ charm.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m sure it’s the uniform,” Sephiroth said with a smirk.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I wouldn’t be too sure, Seph,” Angeal said, “even I had trouble placing Ami’s gender until you told us.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t mind getting seen as one of the guys,” Ami said with a smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So what else did you do?” Zack asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Just… shopped,” Ami said with a shrug, “I got myself some clothes.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She saw Genesis’s interest before she added, “just pajamas and undergarments. And no, I won’t model them. You’ll probably see me in the pajamas in the morning but that’s it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So what did Hojo want with you earlier?” Zack asked after a moment, looking over at Sephiroth.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He had some syringes to give me for Ami so she could continue with her SOLDIER treatments without needing to remain in the lab,” Sephiroth stated with a frown, “one in the morning and two at night. I couldn’t get him to tell me what was in them. I intend to let you choose if you want to take them or not.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Did Hojo say what would happen if I don’t take them?” Ami asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He insinuated that he wouldn’t allow you to remain here with us,” Sephiroth said with a frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He certainly knows how to twist arms,” Zack said with a frown, shaking his head.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I guess I don’t have much of a choice,” she said with a frown, “it may be a good idea to have them right before I go to bed so that way, if the reaction’s painful, I might be able to sleep it off.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You can take the whole case of them with you,” he stated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You think I know how to stick myself with needles?” she asked, looking over at them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Doesn’t everybody?” he asked, looking around the table.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Not generally, no,” Zack stated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re the only one who knows how to use syringes, Seph,” Angeal said with a frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ll help you with that then,” he said with a frown, not feeling comfortable with it but knowing that there was nothing else to be done.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>By the time Sephiroth knocked on her door to inject her with her first round of SOLDIER treatment, she’d taken a shower, put away everything she’d purchased on her own for her own sanity, and was starting to read one of the books she’d downloaded onto her phone ages ago.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘You have my permission to enter,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> she sent at him in response.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When she looked up from her phone, her inner fangirl screamed and swooned. Before getting drop kicked into a bottomless pit. He was shirtless and wearing a pair of plain light blue pajama pants. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘Yeeeeah, he’s stacked.’</span>
  </em>
  <span> She tried her best not to check him out or be embarrassed, because it was clear he wasn’t.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So how are we doing this?” she asked with a frown, setting her phone down, “I’ve been told that my left arm’s got a great vein but Doctors tend to have to go fishing when they do anything with my right.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Injections are different,” he stated with a smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She looked away as he started to wipe an area of her upper arm with what really smelled like rubbing alcohol and smiled.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, that’s something familiar. Rubbing alcohol,” she stated before yelping.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I see,” he said as she felt a hand grip her upper arm, “issue with needles.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yep. Can’t help it that they’ve always hurt me,” she said, still looking away as she started to feel like acid was running through her veins again. “Doesn’t help that that stuff burns like acid.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“One more,” he said calmly, “I’m trying to make it as pleasant for you as I can.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I appreciate it,” she said before yelping again as she felt the second needle pierce her skin, “it’s just that every time someone goes and tells me that it won’t hurt or that it shouldn’t be hurting me, it always hurts. I’ve had… issues with dentists and doctors.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I can relate,” he said with a sigh.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Do you think they’ll be a time when we can be free to be whoever we are without threats from people who force us to be who we aren’t?” she asked after a moment.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I hope so. But I’ve never had a chance to know who I am. I’ve always been trained to be what they want me to be,” he said quietly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Have you ever thought what it would be like?” she asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No,” he said quietly, “because that’s a dream at best. I prefer dealing with reality and things that are more… concrete than flights of whimsy.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There was a deep silence as he slowly injected her with the burning liquid as she looked away. She wondered if this was going to be her life now. If her life will be that of a SOLDIER, forced to fight just to see the next day. The next day which will be just another fight. Another death.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“But don’t take that to mean that I would force you to be anything you’re not if I have a choice in it,” he said quietly as she felt his hands retreat from her arm moments before she felt a small casting of Cure on her arm. “Good night, Ami.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Night, sir,” she said, turning to see the look of slight annoyance on his face.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Like you haven’t done things to slightly annoy me,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> she telepathically told him, </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘turnabout’s fair play.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : : .</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Author’s Note: 1/17/21</p><p>I’d get chapters done sooner if my brain didn’t play hopscotch all over the timeline. I feel ready for the second part of the story, lol. </p><p>So what can I say about this chapter other than it took days to work on because I’d get inspired for a bit then I’d wander off and then come back…. lol. I want to see Ami to get her balance back and hit her stride, which won’t be until the next sub-arc. This first sub-arc is character introductions, Ami’s training, setting up all of the ways the characters relate to each other, and Ami getting used to her new life. She’s not going to be bad@$$ again for a while but when she does… it’s going to be glorious - I have a scene written down I don’t know if I use where she and Seph are deep in enemy territory and are surrounded by enemies and they’re back to back. You can guess how that works out for their enemies. </p><p>I also enjoy writing Ami and Sephy in their current roles where Sephy just subtly trolls Ami as her instructor (he just comes off as the kind of leader who messes with the heads of the newbies in fun and harmless ways because it makes them be more relaxed with him and it just breaks their notions of who they think he is) and once Ami gets a bit more comfortable, she will have her revenge for all the hazing (also a scene I have which is likely going to be a bonus scene since it won’t have much to do with plot). </p><p>Another thing I enjoy is that Ami is hilariously uncomfortable around Sephy. And the guy’s used to walking around shirtless in his apartment (to her inner fangirl’s enjoyment). I just love writing Ami’s inner fangirl who is definitely going “must...stare...at...the...pretty…” and she’s fighting it because she’s trying to be polite. </p><p>I really wanted to write out their mall outing and have it be him being serious and Ami dragging them off and goof off in stores and have it be just cute fluff of two people hanging out. But I just couldn’t get my brain to work. Though most of Ami dragging Sephy around through stores and goof off is because he’s understandably bothered by things and she wants to distract him. At this point, she’s starting to see the guys as her friends. </p><p>Also the guys are amazing and I love writing them - they’re amazingly secure with each other and omg I just love their dynamic and relationship and it deserved more than what CC did with them and they deserved better. I just love them to pieces. To me, those three are definitely heterosexual life partners (tv tropes) and I will write them like that. Zack’s just the group’s puppy. I just can’t wait to write BtV’s take on my favorite CC scene because it will have Zack and Ami in it and it’s the specific point where everything quite definitely veers off of the path of the games (assuming Ami’s summoning and Evil!Sephy’s time traveling didn’t already). </p><p>Random BtV Trivia: This chapter marks the point where I cemented a lot of ambiguities when it comes to Ami’s backstory and her unease with making friends. It has led to edits to previous chapters and some of the future scenes. Also, I started writing the next chapter while I was figuring how to end it.</p><p>Laters!<br/>~Gregora</p><p>Next time on BtV: Ami’s trial in the company Training Room! Will she meet success or failure?</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Training</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Ami has her first session in the Training Room and has to face failure. Sephiroth decides to see about getting Ami some custom weapons.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Disclaimer: I don’t own squat except for Ami. I’m just playing in Square-Enix’s sandbox, yo. Also, I need feedback and lots of since I know I’m not perfect and if things don’t mesh or match up, I’d like to know how to fix it. Anyways, on with the story!</p><p>Trigger Warning: violence, needles</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Chapter Nine</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She stood in a clearing, the full moon casting everything in diffused white light, standing in front of Sephiroth. She tried not to notice how the light interacted with his hair or shoulder armor. She was trying to be professional, dammit. Especially when a pleasant breeze went through with the scent of flowers unfamiliar to her, playing with his hair. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“There is a fort two kilometers to the northeast, full of Wutaiese troops. You’re to try to take over the fort. However, between you and the fort is a forest full of Shinobi,” he stated calmly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So let me get this straight, sir,” Ami said with a deep frown, “I’m to brave through a forest full of shinobi to get into a fort which has even more enemies who may or may not be shinobi, clear it of enemies, and more or less claim it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You certainly have a grasp on things,” he stated calmly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And all I have access to are the materia I have on me and my standard issue sword which I’ve never used before today,” she added with a frown, getting a nod from Sephiroth. She sighed with a roll of her eyes before shaking her head and muttering, “times I wish I still had my toys.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Any further questions or are you going to complain?” he asked with a slight smirk.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Just one more. What are you going to be doing, sir?” she asked with a frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m going to watch you and give you guidance as you need it. This is to see what you need to work on. I don’t expect you to succeed the first time you run through this scenario,” he stated with his usual calmness.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Okay, I can do this,” she muttered to herself as she started to walk into the forest.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ami, the fort’s that way,” Sephiroth said with a sigh, pointing in the direction which was almost but not quite in the opposite direction she’d been walking, “I may need to work on orientation with you so you can determine which way to go.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I know my directions, I just don’t know them here,” she said with a sigh before walking off into the forest.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She stalked through the shadows, having spotted one of the shinobi in a tree. She focused on her Fire materia, planning to peg them and deal with them at range. All she did was shift the barest amount and both heard and felt a kunai hit the tree right above her head. She realized that she’d managed to walk right into the middle of a trap, being surrounded by enemies on all sides. She merely smirked, pulling out her sword. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She lunged at the one nearest to her, swinging her sword at them. She hated the fact that she only had one and it felt heavier than both of her pipes together. Slicing with the sword was a movement she hadn’t practiced as much as she’d practiced with any of her weapons, meaning that her movement was sloppy and allowed for her enemies to dodge her attacks. Her muscles were certainly not liking the unfamiliar movement. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘I hate this,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> she thought as kunai sliced through her clothing before the crowd of shinobi disappeared in squares of light.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She concentrated on her Cure materia, seeing the diffuse green glow cover her body as she collapsed to her knees.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘I’m not good enough,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> she thought to herself, unwilling to face him as she heard him approach, </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘what the hell do I think I’m doing? What am I playing at?’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’ve never held a sword in your life, have you?” he asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Swords aren’t exactly a common weapon where I’m from, sir,” she said quietly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That certainly explains your speed and sloppiness,” he stated before letting out a sigh, “get up onto your feet already.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes, sir,” she said as she pulled herself to her feet, unwilling to meet his gaze out of shame.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It appears that we need to work on your technique before we run you through a simulated assignment,” he said, “I want you to grab your sword and take a swing at me.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re not giving up on me, sir? Even if I’ve never held a sword before?” she asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Why would I?” he asked, looking at her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Because I’m not good enough.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re not good enough to pass the exam, no. But if you continue to react to temporary failures like this, then maybe you’re not good enough to wear that uniform or be my student,” he stated with an edge, “so are you going to let your failures pull you down or are you going to rise up above them?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Okay, what’s the first step?” she asked after she collected herself.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Pick up your sword and swing at me. All I’ll do is block and tell you what you need to do to improve,” he said, moving the Masamune into a defensive position as he got into a defensive stance.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She didn’t like the expression Sephiroth had on his face as the forest around them disappeared in squares of light, leaving an empty room. She put her weapon up as she removed the headset she wore and saw him give her the gesture to follow him. She followed him all the way to his car, both of them completely silent. To her surprise, it wasn’t a tense silence, just a comfortable silence. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Mind sharing where we’re going?” she asked quietly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m certain that a standard issue sword isn’t going to work for you,” Sephiroth stated, “so we’re going shopping. We’ll still work with standard issue swords to get you familiar enough with them but it won’t be your primary weapon.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thank you,” she said with a smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m doing this for myself as much as you,” he said with a calm expression, “if we worked on sword drills every day, it’ll take you the entire time to be able to pass the physical portion of the exam with a standard sword, leaving us with little time to work on regulations and drill. By getting you weapons which fit your fighting style, it means we won’t have to focus on sword drills as much and will result in a higher score if they decide to actually score your performance.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You think they won’t?” she asked as the car turned off of one of the arterials and onto another.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“They typically don’t with forced recruits,” he stated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So why are we busting our asses over this if I’m a shoo-in?” Ami asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Because if anything I’m thorough and if I take it easy on you, you’re liable to make a mistake which will result in yourself and potentially others getting hurt or killed,” he said with a frown, “since we’re at war, we’re likely to be shipped off to the front once Lazard and I are confident in your capabilities.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So it’s important for me to be trained hard and fast. Because we might not have a lot of time before my first assignment after the exam,” Ami stated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Exactly. And my training will be nothing compared to life on the front lines,” he stated evenly, “If you want to give up, you’re free to do so before the exam.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’ve spent time on the front lines?” Ami asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s where I’ve gotten most of my promotions,” he stated as the car turned onto a less busy street.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Outside of combat, what is it like?” she asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“For us, it’ll be a lot of waiting,” Sephiroth stated, “we’re not like the grunts. We won’t be the ones to hold the line. We’ll be the ones to push it. A lot of what we do is covert and stealth when we’re not leading the charge.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Before Ami could speak, the car turned into a parking lot for what looked to be a small shop. The small shop had a sign that said “Gabe Weaponsmith” and looked almost too ramshackle to belong on the plate. It had a chimney from which black smoke rose from.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Looks like he’s in,” Sephiroth said with a bit of a smile as he killed the motor, “just be warned - he’s very good at what he does. He is a bit… eccentric.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Gotcha,” she said, climbing out of the car as Sephiroth took Masamune out of the car.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She merely raised an eyebrow but he never clarified as she followed him in. A bell rang as the door opened</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ah! If it isn’t my favorite customer!” a voice exclaimed from the far wall which was set up as a smith.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The man that spoke looked to be nothing but muscles, likely from working the forge. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘He looks like he could snap Sephiroth in half,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> she thought. The man had dark hair which was buzzed to within an inch at most, a very neatly trimmed beard, and looked to be a few inches taller than Sephiroth. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I brought my new student,” Sephiroth stated, “she needs weapons.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“She?” the smith asked, raising his eyebrows in shock as he lifted his goggles to rest on his forehead, “they’re allowing women in SOLDIER now?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“They will be. She’s forced,” Sephiroth stated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I see,” the smith said before looking at her, </span>
  <span>“we’re going to need to figure out which weight you operate best at. Follow. And you, leave Masamune on the table. I’ll take a look when I’m done with your student.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She was led to what looked like a practice room with what almost looked like lengths of pipes attached to sword hilts hanging on the walls. She instantly felt at ease. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Let’s see what you can do,” he said before handing her one of the pipes with a sword hilt.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She gripped it in one hand, feeling that it was incredibly light and did one of the flourishes she used to do when she was playing with her pipes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Right handed?” he asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Only when writing. I’ve forced my left to be just as strong with weapons as my right or at least that’s what I’ve been working on,” she admitted as the smith took the fake sword from her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Let’s see,” he said before handing her a pair of the fake swords.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She smiled as the weight felt a bit too light for her liking, but it was easier to deal with. “Let’s go for heavier…. Five increments, maybe?” she asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I can see why she’s your student,” the smith said with a chuckle as he exchanged the fake swords.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She felt the heavier weights, now a touch heavier than she’d remembered her pipes feeling and did some drills with them. Sephiroth caught her eye when he picked up one of the fake swords with a slight smile and went into a defensive stance. She knew what he was saying without words or telepathy. She started to swing at him as if she were wielding her swords again and all he did was block until he pushed her back.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I think I’ve got the perfect thing for you to try,” the smith said with a smile, “I haven’t honed the blades, so they’re not live yet, but you should be able to see if they fit.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He ran off to the back room in clear eagerness as she put the fake swords back where she’d seen the smith take them from. Just as she turned around from doing so, she saw the smith run back to them, holding two swords which looked to her like katanas except that the blades were straight. There was a flicker of recognition, making her remember the dream she had a couple of nights ago before she was woken up by being drenched in water. </span>
  <span>He handed them to her and she tested them in her hand, feeling like she were holding abnormally heavy yardsticks which happened to have hilts attached. She saw Sephiroth go into a defensive position with the fake sword and she went through sword drills until she saw him nod at her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What do you think?” Sephiroth asked her with a slight smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Definitely better than the standard issue sword,” she said with a smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We’ll take them,” he said with the same bemused smile at the smith as he put the fake sword back where he’d found it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Great!” the smith exclaimed, “I’ll go sharpen the blades and then check up on Masamune.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So I assume he made Masamune?” Ami asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“His father did. It was the last blade his father made. He sold Masamune to me once he realized that I was capable of using it,” he said with a smile, “Once we’re done here, it should be time for lunch and then we’ll work on getting you used to your new weapons and work on memorizing regulations.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes, sir,” she said with a smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>By the time dinner rolled around, she was feeling like she was going to pass out with her face in her plate. She noticed everyone’s worried glances, well almost everyone. Sephiroth didn’t look the slightest bit concerned. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You might want to get an early night,” Angeal said with a worried frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ll be fine,” she insisted before deciding that resting her eyes might help.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Until she was nudged and she almost jumped up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You fell asleep,” Zack stated with a grin, “been staying up late?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hardly. I conked out not long after I got my injections last night,” she stated, “I probably just had a busy and exciting day.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I heard,” Genesis stated, “training for two hours in the Training Room.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“How well did you do?” Zack asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Not good,” Ami said with a frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hopefully you’ll do better tomorrow,” Sephiroth stated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hopefully,” she said with a frown, blinking her eyes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She’d apparently realized she’d forgot to open them again when she was given another nudge.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Bed,” Angeal ordered. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She gave a weak imitation of a salute as she stood up and shuffled off towards her bedroom. She was vaguely aware of changing into her pajamas and collapsing face down on her bed. She swore it was a dream when someone knocked at her door, which only got a groan from her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Are you ready for your next round?” she heard a very comfortable deep voice ask, to which she only hummed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She thought it was a dream as she heard quiet footsteps approach followed by something cool on her upper arm. She was too asleep to feel the syringe and thought that the burning in her veins were just a part of her dream.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What am I going to do with you?” she heard him say, almost sounding affectionate.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Train me,” she mumbled.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : : .</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Author’s Note: 1/18/21</p><p>I figured that Ami wouldn’t do so well with a two handed sword because she’s trained in a style that is more similar to a two sword style coupled with a heavier weapon than what she’s used to. That plus the fact that her body’s dealing with the injections, she’s not quite at her best. </p><p>I hadn’t planned anything involving the weaponsmith and it just sort of materialized as I wrote it. </p><p>There’s really not much to talk about with this chapter. I’m worried I might be losing some steam with this rewrite or I’m just having an off day. Idk.</p><p>Also what I might wind up doing is a time jump to the exam after I resolve and set up a few things in the next chapters. </p><p>Random BtV Trivia: This fic emerged from the image of a crazy Sephy fangirl chasing pre-Nibelheim Sephy around. This re-write is based around a more rounded worldview and exploring how things could/would work and look like if reality ensues (tv tropes). That means that the next sub-arc is going to be kinda rough.</p><p>Laters!<br/>~Gregora</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Weakness</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Ami spends the whole day resting and they have a serious conversation.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Disclaimer: I don’t own squat except for Ami. I’m just playing in Square-Enix’s sandbox, yo. Also, I need feedback and lots of since I know I’m not perfect and if things don’t mesh or match up, I’d like to know how to fix it. Anyways, on with the story!</p><p>Trigger Warning: weakness/sickness</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Chapter Ten</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sephiroth was worried when he couldn’t get a response from her. When he knocked on her door most morning, he’d at least sense her mind stirring. That morning, he knocked and called through the door and her mind still was far away, dreaming. He debated on what to do - he’d seen how tired and exhausted she’d been during dinner and how she was like when he’d gone and given her the injections. She’d started showing exhaustion during their training session with her new dual blades and he’d decided to shift their focus on learning regulations. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Perhaps I might have put her through too much too soon,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> he thought, </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘she’s not like me or any of the others and her training should reflect that.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Still, he didn’t want to walk away in case there was something worse going on than exhaustion. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘I hope you’ll understand,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> he thought as he quietly opened the door. She was laying in the same position he’d left her the previous night. She was stretched out, spread eagle on top of her bed in her pajama shorts and tank top. He could see her body move slightly, showing her to be breathing deeply and easily. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ami,” he called out, giving her the chance to wake up and respond before he walked in.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There hadn’t been any change, her breathing still showing her to be asleep as her mind was almost outside his reach. He quietly stepped into her room, stalking to her bed. He carefully moved her head so he could touch her forehead and frowned. Her forehead was clammy with a slight fever. He noticed her breathing change as her mind fluttered towards wakefulness as her eyes opened, obviously barely registering what she was looking at. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“How are you feeling?” he asked with a small smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’d probably feel better in the morning, sir,” she sleepily responded, closing her eyes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It is the morning,” he said with some amusement.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Then I feel like I could sleep through the day, sir,” she said sleepily, almost slurring her words.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Then you probably should,” he said gently, “I’ll bring breakfast up to you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thanks,” she muttered as he could tell that she was drifting back to sleep.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He gently set her head back where it had been and quietly stalked back out with a frown. He clearly was obviously frowning when he reached the kitchen. Angeal looked at him and his smile faltered, his eyes quickly moving to take in the lack of Ami. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What’s up, Seph?” Angeal asked, obviously concerned.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Either I’ve put her through too much too soon or Hojo’s treatments are doing a number on her,” he said with a slight sigh as he sat down at the counter which separated the kitchen from the living room, “or both. I thought I knew what I was doing.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Angeal chuckled a bit before saying, “I felt the same way during my first week training Zack. I thought I knew what I was doing and learned very quickly that I didn’t. You’ll find your footing soon enough, Seph.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It seems that we’re short an Ami this morning,” Genesis stated as he entered the kitchen.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“She’s resting,” Angeal stated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I told her that I’d bring breakfast to her,” Seph stated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Genesis took an overly dramatic pose, leaning his back against Sephiroth, the back of his hand on his forehead, “oh how utterly romantic of you. Bringing our fair lady breakfast to eat in bed. It’d be more romantic if it were a shared breakfast.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He let out a sigh as he took a sip of his coffee before saying, “I have absolutely no intention to woo her.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Angeal gave Genesis a look which he knew translated to being told to knock it off so he moved to sit next to Sephiroth at the counter. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m merely looking out for her continued health since she is my student,” he stated calmly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And maybe a bit of a friend?” Angeal asked lightly as he started to arrange food on a plate.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“She’s… got issues with making friends,” he said quietly, looking away, “she only went as far as saying that the last time she had friends, it didn’t end well and it has been five years for her.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That doesn’t sound good,” Angeal said with a deep frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Is it just me or did we wind up with another project like Sephy was when we met him?” Genesis asked with great amusement as he took a sip of coffee.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I admit that she does have some issues to be resolved,” he agreed with a nod.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I wouldn’t worry too much. We managed to help you. We should be able to help her, together,” Angeal said with a bit of a smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Her issues can’t be as bad or worse than yours,” Genesis said with a cocky grin.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You really have a habit of saying the worst things to doom us all, Gen,” Angeal said with a smile, shaking his head.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Since the two of you clearly have more experience in the matter, I’ll defer to your advice,” he stated with an incline of his head, trusting that his best friends and roommates would know better than him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I get the feeling you might wind up doing most of the work, Seph,” Angeal said with a frown as he started to put food on a plate, “as much as I know it can’t be comfortable for you, all things considered.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He couldn’t resist the closest thing to a grin he ever dared to show before saying, “then it’s beneficial that I can’t resist a challenge.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Here,” Angeal said, passing him the plate and a glass of juice, “good luck.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He nodded, taking the plate and the juice up to Ami’s room. He knew that it wasn’t against the rules since it was part of the exception he’d laid down, but it didn’t mean he felt comfortable intruding into her personal space. He noticed that she’d put up posters on the bare wallpapered walls, all of them landscapes of various places on Gaia as well as a few of the night sky. The bookshelf he’d supplied her held the few books she’d asked for the previous day. He placed the glass of juice and the plate of food on her nightstand.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And she was still laying face down on her bed, just as he’d left her. He nudged her, sensing her mind flutter towards the vicinity of wakefulness. She lifted her head weakly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Whut?” she mumbled.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Breakfast,” he said, motioning toward the food, “you’re going to need to eat to recover.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah,” she said with a sigh as it looked like she was having trouble just moving.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He frowned at how difficult it was for her to move in her current state before moving to assist her into a position where she was on her back. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I can’t be certain if this is normal or not,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> he thought with a sigh and a frown. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘It’s because I’m a unique case, isn’t it?’</span>
  </em>
  <span> she sent back telepathically. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Yes.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“As loathe as I am to inflict Hojo on anybody, if you don’t show even the slightest sign of improvement, I’m taking you to him,” he said with a frown as she grimaced at his words.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh look, I can move!” she exclaimed as she did her best to jump out of her bed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Only to fall onto the floor. He let out a sigh as he lifted her and placed her back on her bed, shaking his head at her. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Do you need my help for anything?” he asked, not bothering to hide his amusement.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She weakly reached out for the plate and saw that she wasn’t going to be able to move it without assistance so he offered a steadying hand. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I hate being so weak,” she said, looking away.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“One way or another, this is temporary,” he said gently, “and when it passes, remember how it feels. So you remember how it feels to be helped when you’re in the position to help others. So let me help you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thanks,” she said with a small smile as he moved her legs to make him a spot for him to sit.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She knew that she was blushing as he helped keep her hand steady as she ate. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘I’m only blushing because the guy is gorgeous and in his pajamas. And topless. Just focus on the food and not the eye candy,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> she thought to herself, hoping that he did not hear that thought. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I still need to give you your morning injection,” he said once she was done eating, “unless you prefer to forego it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Considering the fact that if I take them, it keeps Hojo far from me, I don’t have much of a choice,” she said with a bit of a smile, “the threat of Hojo makes literally everything more attractive.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He does have that effect,” he said with a small chuckle as he prepared the injection site.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She remained silent for a moment as he started to pour the glowing red liquid into her veins before speaking, asking, “what is the plan for today?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You clearly need your rest,” he stated, “and I don’t want to leave you alone in your current state. The most I’d do regarding our training is going over regulations.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She nodded before he was done and removed the syringe and channeled some Cure to the injection site to close it. She let out a yawn as he gathered the plate and cup. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Is there anything you need?” he asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Just thinking that it might be easier to get me downstairs and settled in the living room in case you need to reach me,” Ami said with a slight frown, “assuming that it’s where you’re going to be. I just think if anything happens, it would be inefficient to have you go up and down the stairs a lot.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That does make sense,” he said with a nod, “I’ll be back to collect you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She didn’t have long to wait before he returned. He wrapped her in the top comforter and settled a pillow on top of her so when he picked her up, the pillow wasn’t going to fall off of her. She felt his arms support her knees and back as she was carried downstairs. She looked up at his face, taking in the unique angle and she swore he seemed amused. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘This is definitely a good angle. Oh god, Ami. Really? He may be drop dead gorgeous but there’s something vaguely wrong with taking in the eye candy. Why? It’s not like I’m undressing him with my eyes, just appreciating what’s in front of me. It’s also not like I’m interested in him beyond him being my instructor and wanting to look at the pretty. But you know he hates people staring at him and having been made the unofficial mascot of SOLDIER.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘You know, it’s really hard not to notice your internal monologue when you’re practically screaming it and wriggling around while I’m carrying you is making it difficult to keep from dropping you,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> she heard him telepathically say with a lot of amusement.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Eeeep! Sorry!’</span>
  </em>
  <span> she telepathically squeaked as she went completely still out of sheer embarrassment.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Regarding what exactly?’</span>
  </em>
  <span> he asked, still highly amused.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Everything,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> she responded quietly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘And exactly what does ‘everything’ entail? It’s a rather vague word, after all,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> he responded as she swore she could hear him chuckling as they reached the bottom of the stairs.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Her mind blanked out of sheer embarrassment as she hoped he wouldn’t force the conversation. As they went through the kitchen area, she noticed that Genesis and Angeal had already left for work, leaving them alone together.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hmm?” he asked vocally prodding her, “what are you sorry about?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Are we really having this discussion?” she asked as she was gently settled on one of the seats of the couch, sitting up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Better now than when we’re on assignment,” he stated, sitting down on the other couch, crossing his arms in front of him as he stared at her with a slight amused smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She looked away, feeling the heat radiating from her face before saying, “I know you don’t appreciate or wanted to be Shinra’s poster boy for SOLDIER. That plus the fact that you’re my instructor is why I want to keep things professional.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Blushing at me like a teenaged girl with a crush isn’t exactly what I’d call professional,” he said evenly with some amusement.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s just that I know it’s got to be difficult for you with seemingly everyone staring at you like a rack of meat and I didn’t want to add me into that pile,” she said quietly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I know you don’t stare at me like a rack of meat, Ami. I can tell that it’s different from you. It’s like you’re staring at a piece of art. In a lot of ways, the way you stare at me is coming from a place of more respect than those who ‘stare at me like a rack of meat’. You don’t want to do more than look. That hardly poses an issue. What does is your reaction, by freaking out over every time you catch yourself admiring, as you’ve put it ‘the pretty’,” he said calmly, still very amused, “so what we need to do is come up with a solution and move past this.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She stared at him in surprise at his words before quietly asking, “you’re not upset?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s hard to be upset when someone thinks you’re nice to look at and has no interest in anything beyond that,” he said with a smile, “I’d imagine that most men would see it as a confidence booster.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Do you?” she asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I have enough confidence in myself that it doesn’t have much of an effect on me,” he said with a smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So you said we need to find a solution to this problem,” she said with a yawn.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We can brainstorm when you’re more awake,” he said with a smile, “you need to rest.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He saw her nod and drift off almost immediately. He gently moved her into a more comfortable sleeping position with her laying with her head against the arm of the couch and the pillow under her head. He smiled before leaving just long enough to grab paperwork he’d brought with him from his office a few days ago which he’d been meaning to do before his plans had gotten upended by Ami’s daring escape from the labs and getting her situated. He made sure to grab one of the books he’d purchased the day before in case he'd finished the small stack.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Angeal heard Genesis starting to call out to announce that they had returned before the call had died on his lips. He noticed Genesis motioning to him to be quiet and to follow. The sight that greeted them was what Angeal would call adorable. Ami was asleep laying on the couch, her legs dangling off the arm, her head on her pillow and her pillow was resting on Seph’s thigh. Seph, who was also asleep, had a book on his lap opposite of Ami’s pillow and was leaning towards her, his right hand resting on her shoulder.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>‘This is too cute,’ Genesis gestured.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>‘Agreed. They seem very restful. Let’s let them sleep until dinner.’</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Not even two minutes later, Zack walked in and loudly asked, “what’s for dinner?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ami rolled over and onto the floor as Seph sat fully upright, rubbing sleep out of his eyes. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ow,” she muttered sleepily before hauling herself onto the couch next to Seph but at a more respectful distance. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She noticed where her pillow was and grabbed it, setting it next to her, against the arm of the couch, clearly hoping that no one had noticed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So you two looked like you had a busy day,” Genesis commented.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I mostly slept and went over regulations,” Ami stated with a yawn, “I am feeling better though.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sephiroth frowned as he noticed that Ami’s earlier claim about feeling better proved to either be momentary or a complete fabrication. She rolled off the couch with a groan and collapsed on the floor. Since he was closest, he was already there. When he reached out to help her, she pushed his hands away weakly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t need help to use the bathroom,” she groaned, slowly crawling.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“How about to get there?” he asked lightly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She let out a sigh before saying, “fine.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You do know if you don’t show improvement in the morning, we’re going to the labs,” he stated as he gathered her up to all but carry her to the bathroom, leaving her near the toilet before closing the door behind him as he left.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“She’s definitely got a stubborn streak,” Angeal said lightly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And proud too,” Genesis said, “wonder if we know someone like that.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Are you insinuating something?” he asked his two friends.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Just noting similarities,” Angeal said, “which can be both a benefit and hindrance to any kind of partnership. I can see you two clashing really bad about things and also working together well, depending on moods. Just something to keep an eye on.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Still, it was cute how she was cuddling you and you were so close to cuddling her back,” Genesis said with a smile, “I even took a picture.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Of course, Genesis showed him the picture, which even he had to admit was cute. Even if it did make him feel a touch uncomfortable that she’d encroached upon his personal space in her sleep. It didn’t bother him as much since he knew that she likely didn’t mean anything by it. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Before he could speak, he heard the bathroom door open and saw Ami standing, holding herself up by the doorknob and bathroom counter. He could see the effort she was putting in and knew she was about to fall. He rushed over, hoping to catch her before she fell and hurt herself. He’d been fortunate that he’d just managed. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re going back on the couch until after dinner and then it’s bed for you,” he stated with a frown, “and then in the morning, we’re going to Hojo.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She actually let out a groan as if she were only a few years younger and being told to do something she didn't want to do. He merely rolled his eyes at her as he carried her back to the couch. He paused to touch her forehead and noticed it wasn’t as warm and clammy as it had that morning. Still, he wanted to make sure she was absolutely able to deal with the rigors of training. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He hoped he wouldn’t have to take her to Hojo in the morning.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : : .</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Author’s Note: 1/20/21</p><p>So this was a chapter that took forever to work on. While working on this chapter, wanting to do nice cute growing friendship fluff with Ami and Sephiroth, my brain was like “nah, let’s go to Nibelheim (2 years in the future from this point)” and it huuuuuurt. It hurt so much that I had to focus on the events afterward to ease the pain (32+ pages of events). I actually cried over what happened in that bit. Saying anything more would be spoilers.</p><p>So yeah, Sephy has been overhearing Ami’s internal monologues and mental knot tying over him being eye candy and he’s been amused over it and seeing how long he could watch her tie herself in knots before he knows it’s becoming problematic. I figure there’s a big difference between “ooo pretty” and “undressing with eyeballs”. And Ami really isn’t after more than going “sooooo pretty”. </p><p>In the previous re-write, Ami wound up in Hojo’s lab because she was an idiot. Since this Ami is different, I figure she may have complications from leaving the lab too soon or doing too much while her body’s dealing with the stuff in the injections. </p><p>5 more chapters before I update BtV with the new content! Wonder if I could do it before the end of January?</p><p>Random BtV Trivia: Ami’s pre-story opinion of Sephiroth is that post Nibelheim Sephiroth is pretty but best admired from another continent while pre-Nibelheim Sephiroth is definitely a safer option to admire. Less chance of murder by impalement via Masamune. (she still got stabbed though, lol)</p><p>Laters!<br/>~Gregora</p><p>Next Time on BtV: Sephiroth drags Ami to Hojo’s lab.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Back to the Labs</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Ami has a troubling flashback on the way to the lab to determine what's going on. Sephiroth makes a decision without her consent.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Disclaimer: I don’t own squat except for Ami. I’m just playing in Square-Enix’s sandbox, yo. Also, I need feedback and lots of since I know I’m not perfect and if things don’t mesh or match up, I’d like to know how to fix it. Anyways, on with the story!</p><p>Trigger Warning: weakness/sickness, child abuse, implied rape</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Chapter Eleven</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Is there literally no other alternative?” she asked as she practically collapsed into the car seat and pulled her legs into the vehicle.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“While it’s clear you’re improving, I don’t know what caused you to be lethargic to this extent and it could be dangerous,” he stated with a frown before closing her door as she had a short argument with the seat belt.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m recovering. Isn’t that enough? And what makes you think that a, Hojo would know what happened and b, would tell you? Chances seem far too high for my liking that he’ll throw me into a mako bath and feed only god knows what into my veins through an IV. And I hate it,” she said once she heard his door open as she crossed her arms in front of herself.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“How old are you exactly?” he asked with a slight bit of amusement, looking over at her for a moment.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She actually glared at him as he started the engine and pulled out of the parking spot, “I turned twenty-one a few months before we met. I’m officially an adult.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And you’re acting like you’re five years younger,” he stated with a slight frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Was I?” she asked before looking out the window, “five years ago, my focus was on three things. Grades, my friends, and studying two different types of martial arts.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Grades?” he asked, “and what kind of martial arts?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh. Grades was how schools track your performance. I admit that I didn’t apply myself to all of my classes, just the ones which got my focus. The others, I just put in the work just to pass. But I was the one who was always working on homework or studying something or other,” she said quietly, “and I studied Tai Chi and Judo. I haven’t had the opportunity to go through my Tai Chi routines in the morning yet. I’m resetting my sleep schedule which is always a painful two weeks for me and I just might have to push it back an extra hour just to give me enough time.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m unfamiliar with what either of those martial arts are,” he said after a moment, “mind explaining?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Judo is focused on pinning down your opponent to the floor and subduing them, basically grappling,” she said quietly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I see. And I assume how to get out of being pinned down,” he stated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yep,” she said quietly, “and Tai Chi is hard to put into words. It’s heavily based on slow movements and breathing and mindfulness. When I feel better and I have time, I can demonstrate since it’s a solo form. I got into it because it’s a good way to stretch the entire body while also focusing my mind.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m not surprised that you studied at least one form of martial art due to your movements when we fought,” he stated with a slight smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“If I knew this was my fate, I’d have probably studied something like kendo or fencing. They’re sports that utilize fake swords,” she explained, “in my world, swordsmanship has been turned into a sport. Fighting in the streets focuses on using hands, feet, knives, daggers, or guns. Mostly guns, actually. So swords aren’t common things people owned apart from ornamental.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sounds peaceful,” he said quietly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Far from it,” she said quietly, “I’m just glad that I graduated before I could wind up shot.” She saw him give her a look.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Mind explaining?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Due to societal issues, students sometimes get their hands on guns and use them on their peers and teachers,” she said quietly, “the first one that I remember happened when I was in Elementary School. I was ten at the time. Hour long shooting rampage. Then it just started to seem to happen more frequently. Between that and other things, school started feeling less and less safe. I felt safer on the streets, and that’s coming from someone who got shot while running away from home.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You were saying that there were a few subjects that got your interest,” he stated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah. Mostly gym class, science, art, and choir. I tried getting into band when the option opened up to me,” she said quietly, finding herself being pulled into a memory.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She’d run the whole way home with a form and a smile on her face. Her young little heart fluttering in hope.</span>
  <em>
    <span> ‘Since it’s free, they can’t possibly say ‘no’,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> she remembered thinking. She walked inside, seeing her father and stepmom watching tv and waited as patiently as possible for a commercial break, practically dancing in place.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What do </span>
  <b>you</b>
  <span> want?” her father said after letting out a sigh that she now recognized as frustration and anger.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I have a paper from school about the band and orchestra clinic,” she said with a wide grin, “it’s in two weeks.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Don’t care. You’re not doing it,” her father stated in the tone that said it was best to let the conversation die there.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“But dad, I really want to--” she said quietly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t care what you want to do! As long as you live under my roof, you do exactly as I say. And I’m telling you that you are not going to do orchestra or band! You’re loud enough as it is!” he roared as he stood up, towering over her, “now get dressed for work. Mr. Jenkins has paid in advance for thirty minutes.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ugh,” she let out, making a face, “I don’t want to ‘work’ either.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She felt an impact on her cheek and she found herself on the floor.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t care what you think you want. You will do as you are told and enough of this backtalk. You will work and you will enjoy it and you will want to do it. And you will forget all this about band or orchestra,” her father growled.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Ami,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> she could feel a voice call to her as she felt the mental equivalent of a hand gripping her’s before pulling her out, </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘I’m sorry for asking painful questions.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She found herself in the passenger seat of Sephiroth’s car which was parked in an underground parking complex. And she’d been crying. And she felt a reassuring weight on her shoulder.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I didn’t mean to pry but I saw it,” he said quietly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s just ancient history. Pay it no mind,” she said as she got out of the car, feeling out of sorts which always happened when her mind had to remind her of her pains, her scars.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They remained in an uneasy silence as they made it to the lab. She didn’t like the fact that she had to use him to help her walk, but it was better than being carried about. Hojo spotted them almost instantly and gave them a smile that made her skin crawl as if she had a whole nest of ants having a real bash up and down her back. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“To what do I owe to the privilege of your visit?” Hojo asked in such levels of smarm that she felt herself grow ill. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I kind of… nearly passed out during dinner the other day,” she explained with a frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And spent almost all day yesterday sleeping and is suffering from clear muscular weakness,” Sephiroth added with a bit of a frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Interesting,” Hojo said, looking positively giddy as she shot Sephiroth the dirtiest glare she could muster, “follow me.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hojo led them towards an examination table as he opened up a quick volley of questions.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Is it specific muscles or whole body?” he asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Whole body. Last time I felt this way, it was due to a nasty flu. A type of virus,” she explained before asking, “could it be my immune system now reacting to what’s going on after six weeks of being under your care?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Or reacting to an unfamiliar pathogen or maybe an allergen,” Hojo answered, looking almost impressed, “so you know some science.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Science was required learning, so was math, English, world history, gym, and basic computer use,” she explained, “I know that there were some things back on my world that would cause an allergic reaction, but they were all airborne and made for a couple of unpleasant months. But it was never anything used in medicine.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m going to need to run you through some minor tests and scans,” Hojo said, looking excited, “this could lead to a breakthrough!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She shot Sephiroth another glare as she sent, </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘I really hate this guy.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘He’s not exactly on my list of favorite people either,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> he responded,</span>
  <em>
    <span> ‘but he is an expert in what he does.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Would be better if he acted as if he saw me as a person and not an object or organism to experiment on,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> she responded with the telepathic equivalent of a sigh as Hojo returned with a stretcher. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“If you could, Sephiroth,” Hojo said, moving out of the younger man’s way.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The part of her who was the crazed fangirl squealed as Sephiroth carefully lifted her and set her down on the stretcher. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>You’re blushing again.’ ‘</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>You’re the first guy who’s been that close to me and wasn’t screwing me in one way or another. And you happen to be pretty. Of course I’d blush.’ </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>Mind explaining?’ </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>'</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>Not right now, no. There are things that I still don’t feel comfortable discussing with you.’ </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So this is interesting,” Hojo said with a grin, looking almost manic, causing Ami to draw mental comparisons between him and The Joker, “it appears that her immune system has activated and whatever the cause of it has been dealt with. The muscular weakness is just a by-product in addition to the stresses she has been undergoing the last few days and a slight reaction to the injections. I recommend that either she stays under my supervision for as long as it takes for her to finish the regimen or you don’t push her as hard as you’ve been. I should inform you that if she stays to finish the regimen, it would take less time to complete than it would if we do it as three injections daily. The difference is either one week or three.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ll suffer for three weeks,” Ami stated with a frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I can’t slow down the training for three weeks to the amount Hojo recommends,” Sephiroth stated, “a single week’s delay is much easier to deal with.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Excellent,” Hojo said with a smile, “I’ll prepare the pod.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hello? Is anyone listening to me?” Ami asked, feeling her anger grow.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I have been,” Sephiroth stated, “it’s a matter concerning your training.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s all great and all, but this is also a matter concerning something far more important called my body,” Ami stated, “and I don’t consent to being stuck in some pod full of mako while unknown fluid is pumped into my body and does only gods know what to it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“As Sephiroth’s student, he can override your consent,” Hojo said lightly, “especially since you’re female.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Her anger reached a peak where her body wasn’t even caring about muscle weakness as she leaped off of the stretcher as she pulled out her dual blades. “Like hell. You’re going to have to fight me to get me to play along.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sephiroth merely let out a sigh and stared her down.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘I know it sucks having no control,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> he stated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Then why are you taking away my control and bodily autonomy?’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Because if we take three weeks, I can’t guarantee that you’ll be able to pass the tests properly and I want to ensure that you’re the best in your testing group. If you score high enough they will publish your results with your testing group, even if they would have passed anyways. Besides, I want you to honestly be ready for being Third Class and all the rigors that come with that rank. Too many forced recruits would normally wash out but are forced through and I refuse to let you be that way.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t need to fight you to win,” Sephiroth stated with another sigh, “I just need to stand here and wait for your anger to give out.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She could feel her legs start to give out as her anger wasn’t enough to really do much more. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘At least make this up to me somehow,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> she telepathically sent with a sigh as she sheathed her blades.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘How would you like me to do that?’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘When I get out, we have pizza and ice cream for dinner.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“If you can go behind that curtain over there and strip down to your undergarments and put on the robe…” Hojo stated with a smile, getting a glare from her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘...I see you have similar eating habits as Zack…’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘And if there’s such a thing as alcoholic or hard cider…’</span>
  </em>
  <span> she sent as she let out a sigh and went behind the curtain.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Oh there is. The biggest brand of it is native to Banora. And is owned by Genesis.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Is there a thing as cinnamon flavored whiskey?’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘...I don’t know…’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘It’s fun to mix a tiny bit into hard cider.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘I’ll be sure to pass that along to Genesis.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She ran out of conversation as she wrestled with the gown as she leaned against the wall to keep her standing, opting for a mental string of profanities. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘I think I’ve heard more profanities from you than the whole time I spent on the front lines.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘I am a big shining beacon of f-ing purity and grace after all,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> she telepathically sent with no small amount of sarcasm.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Really?’</span>
  </em>
  <span> he responded in kind.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Can’t you tell?’</span>
  </em>
  <span> she responded, still leaning into sarcasm.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Oh I can. I’m pretty sure you’ll wind up stunning your future fellow Thirds into shock with how pure and graceful you are.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘If I can shock them then they really are in need of a lot of help,’ </span>
  </em>
  <span>she commented as she was done, </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘do not even look at me. I hate these things. I’m just glad I was allowed to wear undergarments.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘I’ll do my best,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> she heard him send before she shakily walked out from behind the curtain and nearly fell. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘See? Not looking.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She felt herself get caught mid-fall and almost draped over someone’s shoulder. A glance to that side did in fact confirm that Sephiroth was helping her over to where she needed to go. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘In fact, I don’t think I’m capable of looking right now. Also, have you forgotten that I’ve seen you naked before?’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She gave him the telepathic equivalent of a gentle elbow as she was helped over to what looked to be a pod like the one she’d woken up from a few days ago. She was gently lowered into it and Hojo came along to set an IV and put an oxygen mask over her nose and mouth.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Right, when I escaped a few days ago.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“To make it more pleasant, we’ll keep you under the whole time,” Hojo explained as he made sure all the preparations were in order before backing away and closing the clear door.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As mako filled the pod, she found herself slowly drifting away.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘I’ll be here in a week for you,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> he telepathically sent as she closed her eyes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : : .</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Author’s Note: 01/24/21</p><p>So it’s been a few days since the last chapter was complete. I’ve been working on other bits of BtV including a few scenes for the next sub-arc. I’ve also been playing FF7 Remake (currently in Sector 5 slums doing the quests). I actually cranked this out in a few hours, so yay.</p><p>Definitely looking forward to the next sub-arc which is the Wutai War sub-arc. It will be a bit more episodic, focusing more on the characters and their relationships than the actual war. There’s a few cute moments and a lot of painful ones and some really horrifying crap. </p><p>Also I have no clue where Ami’s flashback came from, she was just like “yeah, this is a thing that happened”. Pretty sure she’s got a lot of unresolved trauma kicking her butt (as does at least one other character and everyone could guess who). One thing I like which I feel is a window into how Ami and Sephiroth get along is how they were just throwing sarcasm at each other. Sarcasm is how Ami deals with things where attacking the issue isn’t the solution. </p><p>Also just as an aside comment about FF7 Remake: why do they have to apparently make Sephiroth more pretty? Also how does one go from “hey this guy was actually pretty empathetic and understood people well enough to see that Zack was worried about his girlfriend and let him go check on her” to “this guy gloated about killing Cloud’s mother and destroying Nibelheim and (supposedly) has the gall to ask for Cloud’s help? Does he not understand the basics of how people work??” (I’ve been spoiling myself a ton about FF7 Remake) The only explanation was that Nibelheim either really broke his mind to pieces or he really split himself in half to fight against being stuck in the Lifestream. </p><p>Another opinion I have is a lot could have been avoided if anyone just stopped and gave Sephiroth a hug at nearly any point in Crisis Core. Crisis Core is just “The Zack Show featuring the worst 2 or so years of Sephiroth’s life”. I kept thinking ‘why is no one giving the guy a hug’ and ‘Sephy needs a hug!’ when I played it the first time around. </p><p>Random BtV Trivia Time: Ami definitely would brave the risk of getting stabbed to give Sephiroth a hug when he looks like he needs one, even if she would be uncomfortable doing so.</p><p>Laters!<br/>~Gregora</p><p>Next time on BtV: Ami awakens and Hojo gives her a secret mission. How will she react?</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. A Threat and Some Sparring</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Ami wakes up and has an unpleasant chat with Hojo that included a threat.  Sephiroth takes her to spar with the group, which ends with an unarmed spar between him and his student.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Disclaimer: I don’t own squat except for Ami. I’m just playing in Square-Enix’s sandbox, yo. Also, I need feedback and lots of since I know I’m not perfect and if things don’t mesh or match up, I’d like to know how to fix it. Anyways, on with the story!</p><p>Trigger Warning: medical, not detailed nudity, scars</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Chapter Twelve</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She woke up, curled on an examination table. She had on a medical gown and everything stunk like it had when she woke up the first time - a smell that was inorganically sweet with some tones of rotten eggs and whatever it was that made every breath feel like she was getting punched in the sinuses. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘Who needs smelling salts when someone can just put some mako under the nose?’ </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I see you’re awake. What we used this time appeared to be very effective,” Hojo said pleasantly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Please tell me there’s somewhere I can go to rinse off. Mako stinks to high heaven,” she said with a disgusted frown. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Once we have a chat,” he said with a smile, “just a few minutes, that’s all I need.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She let out a sigh before saying, “fine. What is it this time?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’ve made it abundantly clear that you don’t like spending time here in the lab, so I’m going to cut you a deal. If you get yourself pregnant with Sephiroth’s offspring, all you’ll ever need to do is bi-weekly checkups and show up here to deliver the children. I’ll even give you a few years between pregnancies to recover. It will also help Sephiroth since I will be too busy working on the next generation to continually work on him,” he said with a smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Let me see if I understood you clearly,” she said with a frown, “you want me to procreate with Sephiroth in order to hand my children to you so you can experiment on them?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No matter what you do, any children you produce, regardless of how… <strong>inferior</strong> the genetics of the father is, are destined to wind up in my lab. May as well do things willingly rather than put up a pointless, painful struggle,” he said pleasantly, “and don’t worry about giving me an answer now. I’ll let you know when I’m starting to run out of patience and then I’ll institute a countdown.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And what’s keeping me from telling Sephiroth?” she asked with a frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“If you tell him, then I’ll take it the same as you declining,” he said with a slight frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And if I decline?” she asked, not liking the feeling she was having.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I will have to collect you and I hope that the drugs required to keep you in a coma won’t affect the development of the offspring,” he said with the same small frown, “but I hope it won’t need to come to that. The shower’s over there.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She was glad to see that there was a shower curtain around a stall and a towel already ready for her, draped over the curtain rod. She found that the shower’s warmest was tolerable and yet did nothing for her seething anger. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Are you okay?’</span>
  </em>
  <span> she felt a familiar mind ask.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘No but it’s nothing we can do about it,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> she thought, trying to spare him from her anger,</span>
  <em>
    <span> ‘it’s best if you stay out of my head for a while and I’ll try to work on walling up my mind more.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘What did Hojo do?’</span>
  </em>
  <span> the thought came with a sigh of both resignation and frustration and a tiny bit of anger.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘He just talked to me. It was just a rather unpleasant discussion,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> she responded.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘I’m on my way with a set of clothes for you. Hope you didn’t mind I got into your undergarments,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> he sent, the last bit coming off rather awkwardly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘You needed to get me a pair, I don’t see the issue,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> she responded, finding enough in her to be amused that he was awkward about nothing more than panties and bras. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Of course he’d be awkward. He’s a guy and he probably was and very likely still is utterly clueless about anything to do with feminine stuff. And likely the same goes for the guys. They’re in for a rough time in a few weeks,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> she thought to herself.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘...should I be worried about what’s in a few weeks? In my defense, you kinda shouted that and I </span>
  </em>
  <b>
    <em>am</em>
  </b>
  <em>
    <span> utterly clueless with feminine stuff,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> he responded in an amused manner.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘I need to learn volume, don’t I?’</span>
  </em>
  <span> she asked with a sigh.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Have you picked up on my thoughts at all?’</span>
  </em>
  <span> he asked after a moment.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘No, not really. I seem to have a harder time reading you than you do me,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> she responded with a frown,</span>
  <em>
    <span> ‘which leads me to interesting and possibly problematic hypotheses.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Like?’</span>
  </em>
  <span> he asked quietly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Potentially able to control my actions? Potential of being able to completely override my free will?’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Those are possibly problematic hypotheses and ones we might be able to safely test with your consent. I refuse to attempt those without it,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> he responded with a clear frown as she turned off the shower and started to pat herself dry.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘We’d want to think of safe tests,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> she responded as she heard Hojo speak in the background.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> “Your student’s currently washing off mako over there,” Hojo stated before she heard very silent footsteps approach.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“How do we want to do this?” he asked, sounding a tiny bit awkward.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Give me a moment,” she said before draping the towel over the curtain, “you’ve already seen me naked. I’ve got no problems dressing in front of you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Don’t women have a thing about modesty?” she heard him ask.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“After a certain number of men have seen me naked or in my undergarments, modesty is a moot point,” she stated, “especially since you’ve seen everything already.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘You told me not to look when you were in the medical gown.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Medical gowns are less flattering than just being naked and I forgot that you were there when I escaped the lab. Sides, I wasn’t in the mood to deal with any potential snide remarks.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Like how you seem to enjoy silk and lace?’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘And here they come.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She strode out in all her glory. If not for Hojo’s conversation, she would have been far less uncomfortable. She saw him actually look at her, his eyes clearly drifting to the feminine bits before seeing the scars, his eyes resting a bit longer on the scar above her right breast which she knew was still purple with the color of fresh skin.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Like what you see?” she asked as she started getting dressed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Looks like you’ve been through things,” he stated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“This,” she said, pointing at the scar on her trunk, “was when I got shot when I was 11.” She then pointed at the scars on her hips and femur, “bad motorcycle accident, a few years ago. It was bad enough that I had to get some parts of a few bones replaced by titanium.” She frowned before saying, “and not all of the wounds were from fights. Some came from… before I was adopted.” She started to get dressed, saying, “you can ask me anything about any of them that catch your eye. If they’re too sensitive a topic, I’ll let you know.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“There appears to be a lot of burns on your back,” he stated with a frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“From before I was adopted,” she stated, “touchy subject.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She finished getting dressed in silence and was practically overjoyed to be away from Hojo and the lab. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“How are you feeling?” he asked as they strode toward the elevator.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Like I want to go through some Tai Chi forms before any real training,” she said with a smile, stretching a bit as she walked, “I can go through the forms once over in about six minutes if I’m pushing it but the goal is to not rush through but to go at one’s pace.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m interested in watching. Then I want to see how well you do unarmed,” he said with a small smile as they walked into the elevator, “just to see your skills. Perhaps we can talk Zack into being your opponent.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Has he had any hand to hand training?” she asked as she felt the downward movement.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Only what Angeal has taught him,” he said with some humor, “hand to hand is trained but not focused on.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She then heard a PHS go off and realized it wasn’t hers as Sephiroth answered his. “Sephiroth.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He paused for a moment before saying, “we’re almost there.” And with that, hung up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The elevator doors parted and Sephiroth led her to a floor she hadn’t seen before. “These are all SOLDIER sparring rooms. Angeal and Zack are waiting for us. Knowing Genesis, he is too.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They came to a door and he opened it and she was amused at the layout of the room. There was a small area to remove shoes and socks and the rest of the floor looked to be covered with a foam mat. Some of the walls had what looked to be lockers, likely holding training supplies. And as Sephiroth warned, the whole gang was there and greeted her happily, all barefoot.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And our little sister has returned,” Genesis said with a smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“How are you feeling?” Angeal asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Like I could do some sparring after I go through some forms of one of the martial arts I’ve studied,” she said with a smile, “I just need a few minutes and some space.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I want to have her demonstrate some of what she knows,” Sephiroth stated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You studied martial arts?” Zack asked, completely excited.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“If you want, after I’m done with my forms, I can demonstrate a few things,” she offered with a smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sounds interesting,” Zack responded as she found enough space.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She closed her eyes as she took in some deep breaths, focusing entirely on her breathing before opening her eyes just enough to see her hand placement as she slowly worked her way through the set of forms she’d memorized. Her focus was entirely on her breathing and movement and clearing her mind of everything else. Once she got to the end, her muscles felt like they’d gotten a deep stretch and she felt ready.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Interesting,” Sephiroth stated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It was like watching a dance,” Genesis stated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Speed up the movements and they’re actually fighting moves,” Ami stated with a bit of a smile, “So to demonstrate the other form I know, I’ll need a volunteer.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sure!” Zack said, approaching her, “what do I need to do?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“To not complain and to let me know when you surrender,” she said with a smile, “otherwise, try to use your skills at me once I say that I’m ready.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She got into her usual Judo readied position before saying, “ready.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Zack went at her and the next thing he knew, he was on the mat on his back. “I’d have gone for pinning you, but I figure you could probably lift me up like I was nothing.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He leapt to his feet with a grin, “again?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She got back into her readied position before saying, “sure. Ready whenever you are.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As Sephiroth watched, he could tell that she was using different methods of practically throwing or otherwise sending Zack to the ground and this time, he saw that she had elected to lock Zack’s joints, causing the Second to groan before saying, “I give.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“She certainly knows how to throw weight around,” Angeal commented, getting a look from Zack.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’d like to see you try,” Zack stated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Perhaps later," Angeal said with a small smile, "I don't mind watching a bit longer."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’d like a turn,” Sephiroth said with a bit of a smirk as he approached as she got into a defensive stance.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Don’t blame me for any bruises you might get from this,” she said with a smirk.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Likewise,” he said before moving in to strike, forcing her to deflect rather than try for a grapple. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She found herself losing ground as she tried several times to just get a grab on him. She frowned as she found that she was definitely not fighting someone who was clueless as she rolled out of the way of an attack. She tried to go for a trip and had misjudged, giving him a chance to pin her down. She saw the pin coming and rolled away and leaped to her feet. The whole time, she knew that she was grinning. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I get the feeling he’s found another sparring partner,” Angeal stated as Ami moved to prevent her from being pushed against a wall.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Like she wasn’t already on the basis that she’s his student?” Genesis asked as Sephiroth continued to jab and strike at Ami and all Ami did was deflect and block.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“True, but I mean more like someone who is closer to his equal in unarmed combat than some of us are,” Angeal stated as Ami tried to reach for Sephiroth’s arms but her hands were slapped away.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Not bad considering you spent a week unconscious in a mako bath,” Sephiroth said with a smile, “still a bit too defensive.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Only because you don’t give me a chance to strike back,” she responded defensively, still grinning.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Or because you’re too afraid to strike at me,” he said with a nearly smug grin, “after all, you might not want to tarnish ‘the pretty’.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You think that I don’t want to hit you because I think you’re too pretty?” she asked, her eyebrows raised as her grin waned.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Or you’re afraid of me in general,” he said with a bit of a frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Not hard being afraid of a guy you’ve only known for a few days who apparently has more control over your life than anyone in your life. That kinda power imbalance can lead to really dark and painful places right quick. You have the power to do all sorts of horrible things to me and get away with it if you wanted.” she said as she continued to block, “not saying you would, just being aware that you could and that… yeah I admit it’s kinda scary.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I won’t,” he said quietly, “but I understand that the potential is what worries you and I acknowledge it. Now, actually try to win.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She tried to grapple him and quickly found herself actually finding it difficult to toss him to the floor. Every time she’d try to push him off balance, it was like he adjusted and countered, forcing her to fight to keep her balance before she adjusted and countered herself. She found herself slipping backwards moments before she landed on her back and he’d followed her onto the floor, quickly twisting both her body and his own into a pin that she recognized.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You win, sir,” Ami stated with a sigh.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You barely even tried to escape,” he stated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Because I recognize the pin and I’ve lost matches to it,” she said with a sigh.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Matches?” he asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Judo’s used as a competitive sport. Points are won for either forcing your opponent to land on their back with enough force or to be in a pin for twenty seconds,” Ami stated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I see,” he said as he let go of her and got up, offering her a hand up, “looks like all we really need to work on are regulations and your swordsmanship.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Fun,” she said as she was helped up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Regs are easy. We can drill you on ‘em,” Zack said with a grin.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And we can have you practice your sword skills on Zack,” Angeal said with a smile, “since he’s closest to your skill level out of all of us.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That night, to Ami’s surprise, they had pizza and ice cream and Genesis had supplied the hard cider. She learned that yes, cinnamon whiskey did exist on Gaia and it had the same effect on the taste of hard cider she remembered. She didn’t drink enough to get drunk, not wanting anyone to find out about the secret mission from Hojo while burying it deep. She was going to need to learn how to telepathically shield Sephiroth out of her mind and quick. Apparently, the wall she was using wasn’t strong enough.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘We’ll work on strengthening your wall,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> he sent at her, </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘I enjoy hearing your thoughts as much as you enjoy having your thoughts heard. We’ll work on that after dinner, if you feel up to it.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Thank you, sir,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> she responded.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘You can stop it with the ‘sir’ when we’re telepathically communicating.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Yes, sir,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> she responded with the telepathic equivalent of a grin and an overly dramatic salute.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Ami…’</span>
  </em>
  <span> he sent with a sigh.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Yes, sir?’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘...you’re not going to stop anytime soon, are you?’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Stop what, sir?’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘...you’re doing this as revenge, aren’t you?’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Regulations state that one should refer to their superiors as ‘sir’, sir.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘...you’re purposefully being obtuse.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Just following the rules, sir.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Can you stop?’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘I believed you wanted me to learn regulations for my SOLDIER entrance exam, sir.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Do I need to make it an order?’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘I don’t believe that telepathic orders are covered in the regulations, sir.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘I will find a way to get back at you for this.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘So you’ll punish me merely for following regulations? That’s hardly fair, sir.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘You’re enjoying annoying me. Some would consider that suicide.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘I can see the headlines now: ‘first female SOLDIER killed by mentor before she could pass the entrance exam’ with the tagline: ‘The Great Sephiroth defends himself by saying that “she asked for it by following regulations.”’</span>
  </em>
  <span> she responded with some level of sarcasm.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Funny.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘I thought so too, sir.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : : .</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Author’s Note: 01/24/21</p><p>You won’t notice this but in this chapter and the previous one, I forgot that Sephiroth was there when she escaped the lab. Naked. Still, she wasn’t in the mind to hear comments about her undergarments in the last chapter. </p><p>I admit that I don’t know much about Tai Chi and Judo outside of quick research and having gone to Tai Chi events in college and seen some Judo matches when I was a kid (my dad’s first girlfriend after my mom had a daughter who was into Judo). </p><p>Those who know what’s going to happen from the previous versions would probably recognize that she’s starting to purposefully annoy him during dinner. And she’s doing so while following the rules. I can see her using the regulations to just annoy him in addition to the annoying she’s going to be doing very shortly. </p><p>Random BtV Trivia time: It has taken 12 chapters to do what I had done in the course of 4 chapters plus prologue and bonus. Talk about padding it out! Although I think a lot of it is necessary to establish characters and world… I hope it wasn’t all just useless padding. I might wait to update until I’ve finished the first sub-arc and got a bit of a cushion of chapters ready to go (maybe 1 chapter) and then I want to try to update once or twice a week, I’m still figuring it out.</p><p>Laters!<br/>~Gregora</p><p>Next Time on BtV: Ami starts to self-sabotage - will the guys stop her?</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>13. Self Sabotage and Stories</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Ami starts to really self sabotage herself. The guys call her out on it. She shares more about her past.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Disclaimer: I don’t own squat except for Ami. I’m just playing in Square-Enix’s sandbox, yo. Also, I need feedback and lots of since I know I’m not perfect and if things don’t mesh or match up, I’d like to know how to fix it. Anyways, on with the story!</p><p>Trigger Warning: self-sabotage</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Chapter Thirteen</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Angeal knew that there was definitely a story to be heard when he saw Seph walk into the apartment after a longer workday than usual and with the small things that he knew the silver haired man did when he was being overly cautious or borderline paranoid. He saw the other man’s cyan eyes scan the area, clearly looking for something. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I left you a plate of dinner in the fridge,” Angeal said with a concerned frown, “mind telling me what’s up?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Where is she?” he asked quietly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“She’s up in her room,” Angeal said before sighing, “what’s going on?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Has she been acting strange around you or Genesis or Zack?” the other man asked as he made his way to the kitchen, a little more at ease.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Nothing out of the ordinary, as far as I could tell. She doesn’t really open up much after what happened that morning,” Angeal said with a frown as he moved to sit at the counter, “I can tell that there’s something bugging her but I can’t force her to confide in me. Why do you ask?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It started this morning…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Everything seemed to be perfectly normal and ordinary that morning up until they’d gotten into his car. Once he’d confirmed that they were buckled in, he pulled away and made their way to the building. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So…” she’d said, letting it out as a sigh as they were just about to reach the onramp onto the main highway going towards Sector 0, “which team do you bat for?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What do you mean?” he’d asked, giving her a slight glance.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sorry, slang from back home. I was asking about your… tastes… in people. In the sense of what you find attractive. Men, women, both, neither… that sort of thing.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Neither sounds more applicable,” he admitted before asking, “you?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Aesthetically, I like men,” she stated with a smile before frowning.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“But it’s nothing more than an aesthetic appreciation?” he asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I haven’t had the best… experiences with men,” she said quietly, “between how my biological father treated me and how he and my stepmother used me for money and the kind of men I was exposed to at a young age and then the one relationship I wound up having simply out of curiosity…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He’d found himself gripping the steering wheel a little too tight as his mind supplied him images that he found sickening. He was starting to understand why she’d killed her father, stepmother, and mother. He felt a light touch on his upper arm.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“But I might just be interested in giving it another go. With you,” she’d said in a tone of voice which would have made any other man be interested but for him, it made his skin crawl.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Not. Interested,” he stated, “and I’d appreciate it if you removed your hand.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Am I just not pretty enough for you?” she asked as she removed her hand from his arm, but only to move it towards his side.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“When I told you to remove your hand, I wasn’t implying that I wanted to feel it anywhere else on my person. Stop touching me,” he stated, finding himself starting to actually grow annoyed with her for once.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She let out a sigh, withdrawing her hand from him as he started to make plans for them to travel via motorcycle from that point on. At least until whatever it was worked its way out of her system. He was almost tempted to listen in on her whispered thoughts, but he clearly had more respect for her than she had for him considering what had just happened. He was going to have her work extra hard before he was going to hand her off to his friends so he could attend a few meetings. She pulled out a few things out of her pockets, what looked like a high end PHS and what seemed to be ear buds, and was silent for the rest of the trip, her eyes closed, taking in whatever she was listening to.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Angeal frowned as he heard his friend relate what could be a troublesome development, one which he wasn’t entirely confident in his friend’s ability to navigate without someone getting hurt. He’d seen the potential in Ami to grow and develop into a force to be reckoned with as a SOLDIER, but he was starting to wonder about her mental and emotional state in light of what he’d heard. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His friend merely ate the reheated food with an expression that said that there was more on his mind.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“There’s more, isn’t there?” Angeal asked with a sigh.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They were taking the stairs, partly because it had been part of his routine before Ami had materialized in his life and partly to see if her post-treatment endurance could handle it and everything else she was going to endure that day. He’d quickly learned to regret that decision since it meant more time stuck with her in her current mental state.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Does this world have concepts such as weddings and marriages, husbands, wives, that kind of thing?” she asked suddenly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He did not like where this was going. He saw the clear trap that was waiting for him. He could simply not answer and avoid the trap and create the potential of future misunderstandings. Or he could answer, prevent the risk of future misunderstandings, and walk right into the blindingly obvious trap. It was all a matter of whether he preferred to be uncomfortable now or at some unknown future time. And he was the kind to prefer short term pain if there was promise of long term gain. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes,” he stated simply, choosing to avoid giving her more details to use against him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I should do some research on that topic at a future date,” she stated, her tone thoughtful as she continued to go up the stairs behind him, matching his slower than usual pace.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I have heard it’s a preoccupation women generally have,” he stated evenly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She was silent for a few moments, a handful of stairs, before asking, “why did you phrase your statement in that manner?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“My experiences with women have been… limited. Up until now, my experiences have fallen into three specific categories. Hojo’s assistants, the majority of my fanbase who seem to take some enjoyment in throwing themselves at me, and through anecdotes of others I’ve heard in the field. You are the first woman I’ve had any meaningful contact with,” he explained, saying some of that in amusement but mostly just neutrally. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She was silent again, this time for much longer. He wondered what was going on in her mind, she’d done better than she’d been with sealing her thoughts to him, which was a surprise. He almost found himself wishing that he could overhear even a murmuring of thought, just so he knew what she was undoubtedly thinking. Had he gotten used to her being telepathically loud, practically advertising her every thought and now, she’d taken to last night’s telepathic training. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You know, in ways that’s done you favors and in ways is a detriment,” she said quietly after a while.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hm?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Intimate relationships aren’t anything like in romance novels or fairy tales where the handsome prince sweeps the princess off her feet and they lived happily ever after. They suck. The struggle for control, the fighting, the trying to change yourself for the happiness of someone who isn’t you… It’s no fun. Sometimes, I wonder how people manage to stick together in misery and manage to not just procreate but mostly wind up with children not unlike the ray of sunshine that we call Zack. It… puzzles me how Zack can be such a ray of sunshine at all. How he can be so… what’s the word? Naive or innocent?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He was glad that he was facing away from her so she didn’t see his amusement. He’d wondered the same about Zack too. Even the harshness of SOLDIER training nor living as a member of the organization had done anything to dim that ray of sunshine nor the teenager’s naivety. But what caught his attention was that she’d admitted to having one intimate relationship and then described her one relationship in broad terms, falling into a clear logical bias by applying her one bad experience to everyone else.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Are you sure that you’re not biased due to clear negative experiences in the matter?” he asked lightly, “after all, I’d fallen into similar traps myself, in my past.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“One could easily take that as an invitation to explore an intimate relationship,” she’d said with that same tone as earlier, which raised alarms in his head.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Taking my words in that manner would be in grave error,” he said in a low tone, hoping he’d made his point, “as it is, I intend to make my displeasure toward your advances known in the training room.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Angeal frowned into his mug, not knowing what to do other than having some words with Ami. He had to admit that it could not have been an easy situation for Seph to navigate but it appeared that he managed. He was about to comment on this as strains of a sad song on a harmonica drifted down. He heard a door open and close before seeing Genesis walk into view, already having changed into his pajamas.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“At it again?” Genesis asked with a sigh, “I’m half tempted to go up there and talk to her.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Seph merely arched an eyebrow at Genesis, the quieter man’s way of asking for clarification.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Occasionally, she’s been playing songs like that on her harmonica since she holed herself up in her bedroom,” Angeal explained with a frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I swear, she really knows how to brood,” Genesis said with a sigh, “I think she might give you some stiff competition in that department, Seph.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I know that there was nothing this afternoon that could have set her off,” Angeal said with a frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“She didn’t appear to be upset this morning,” Seph said with an expression that said that he was concerned.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Women are notorious for their moods, after all,” Genesis said with a shrug, “and their minds are mysterious.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Think it’s got to do with the labs yesterday?” Angeal asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It wouldn’t surprise me,” Seph said with a frown, “unless you have any advice, Angeal, I think it’s prudent to see if this boils over.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m going to check on her,” Genesis said with a sigh, “at least to ask her to lay off the sad harmonica for the night.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ami knew when Sephiroth arrived because he’d reached out to her telepathically. He’d come off as cautious and worried and she simply didn’t respond beyond acknowledging the slight contact and verifying that her mental walls were walking. She’d let out a sigh as she found out that he’d been unable to overhear her thoughts all day, which was a relief. She sensed someone approach, recognizing the mind as Genesis’ in a passive way before hearing him knock.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She stopped her harmonica playing, knowing that she should stop soon since it was getting late, and slipped on her fluffy chocobo slippers she knew the guys hadn’t yet seen. She’d been meaning to use them but hadn’t really had much of an opportunity. She was wearing an oversized light blue t-shirt with an intentionally faded image of a tropical sunset and a slightly deeper blue pajama pants that went just past her knees. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When she answered the door, she could tell that he was vaguely concerned. She couldn’t exactly pinpoint what gave her that inkling, just that it was what she saw on him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You okay? Your music was rending hearts downstairs,” he asked with a slight frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I was planning on putting it up for the night. I apologize for all hearts I may have rent. I just was enjoying my solitude, that’s all,” she said, finding that as soon as she’d uttered the word ‘solitude’, Genesis’ right hand gripped the closest hand. “Genesis?” she asked as she felt his grip around her wrist and felt him pull her toward the stairs. “Genesis! What are you doing?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“This is for your own good,” he merely said as they’d left the stairs.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I could do with less dragging me about,” she complained, still struggling out of the First’s grip moments.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The moment he’d let go of her wrist, she was practically forced to sit in the chair she usually sat in, the spare chair that didn’t match the guy’s chairs. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Mind explaining what just happened?” Angeal asked, giving a harsh look at Genesis.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He dragged me down here by the wrist,” she said with a frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“She used that word Seph uses when he’s trying to shove everyone away because he’s hurt,” Genesis said with a frown, heading away from behind her and towards the fridge.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“There’s nothing wrong with solitude,” she said with a frown, “it’s usually preferable to the alternative in my experience.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“There’s such a thing as too much,” Angeal said with a sigh.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I haven’t encountered an issue with too much solitude,” she said with a frown, “on the other hand, I’ve encountered far too many issues with spending too much time with the opposite.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She didn’t miss the knowing glances that Angeal and Genesis shared followed by a slight glance towards Sephiroth. ‘They probably are thinking I’m like him,’ she thought quietly and deeply. She watched as Genesis took out a familiar looking bottle she recognized as containing hard cider.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Would you like one, little sister?” Genesis asked, using the nickname he’d given her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The nickname that hurt and at the same time gave her small feelings of comfort. She hated that. She didn’t want to feel comfort whenever anyone used a nickname. Almost as much as she hated having nicknames. Nicknames were associated with pain and loss, never with anything else. Maybe not immediately, but afterwards.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes, please,” she said, using the manners which had been ingrained into her, “thank you for the cider.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What do you mean by issues you have with spending time around people?” Angeal asked quiet, gently, like he was speaking to a hurt child or teenager.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She waited to answer until she had the cold bottle of hard cider in her hands and knocked back a couple of gulps before placing the bottle on the counter without allowing it to leave her hand. She stared at the label - it was easier to talk when not looking at faces, especially when she was trying to keep herself from doing something horribly foolish and not at all wise.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“In which order? Chronological or severity?” she asked, knowing that if she hadn’t scared them off already during that breakfast, they would definitely be scared of her after they’d wrung out all the answers they sought, leaving her exactly where she wanted to be.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She saw movement as she could catch uneasy glimpses between Angeal and Genesis as Sephiroth merely appeared impartial, clearly willing to let his friends handle the conversation. She heard Angeal let out a sigh.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Why do you enjoy your solitude so much?” Angeal asked gently.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No one can hurt me if I'm not around them,” she said, feeling amused by the questioning, “and before any of you three say it, you will hurt me. Maybe not now, maybe not today, but you will someday. Everyone eventually does.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Shit,” she heard Genesis mutter before rubbing his face and giving a slight tilt of his head towards Sephiroth.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Even me?” Sephiroth asked quietly, his voice betraying no emotion but curiosity, clearly choosing now to interject.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Seeing as how I’m your student in a military organization, it would be foolish to expect a completely gentle hand,” she stated, giving him a glance.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She saw him give her a slight nod of acceptance of her statement before taking a sip of whatever drink was in his mug. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You can’t always expect everyone to be out to hurt you,” Angeal said with a sigh, still being gentle and patient.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That has been the recurring pattern whenever I give others the opportunity to do so,” she stated before taking a sip of the cider, “so I deemed it prudent to limit the opportunities.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She didn’t want to admit that she also didn’t want to get too attached because of what she knew about events which clearly had yet to happen. Or could. She didn’t want to get too used to this, just to have Angeal and Genesis disappear and Sephiroth get hurt. Assuming that events would play out since there were already two very large differences between this and the games. But she wasn’t going to give in to hope. That always led to failure.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Just how many people have wound you so deeply that you’ve become so guarded, little sister?” Genesis asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Everyone I’ve ever known has done so in some way,” she said, “there’s not enough cider in this apartment for me to go over every slight, every torture I was exposed to.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Even your friends? I assume you had some at some point,” Angeal said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ve engaged with that foolishness once out of curiosity,” she admitted before taking another gulp, “but I learned my lessons from that experience.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And what lessons would that be?” Angeal asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That my being someone’s friend is apparently a fate worse than death due to my incompetence at being a friend, that it saves everyone a lot of pain and time to simply not engage, that I’m destined to be utterly and completely alone wherever I go,” she said quietly with a frown, reciting the knowledge she had gained through pain and sorrow and grief.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She could see the look of horror on Angeal’s face in her peripheral vision. Honestly, she wasn’t surprised that in her calm, analytical mood, they would see parallels between her and Sephiroth. After all, she found herself empathizing with Sephiroth during most of Crisis Core up until Nibelheim. She understood the pain of friends abandoning and betraying her far too well. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I should probably tell that story since it appears to be at the core of your issues with me and my solitude,” she said quietly with a frown, “I don’t know about the public education system here so I should probably explain it for context. Years of school are called grades, starting with kindergarten and then first through twelfth grade. The last four years, grades ninth to twelfth take place in a specialized school called High School and are known as freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior years. Most are around the age of fourteen or fifteen during their freshman year. Since my birthday was in the spring, I was fourteen when freshman year started…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She stood outside the door to the classroom with a neatly folded print out of her schedule. She looked at it, verifying the room she was supposed to be in. <em>‘Room 315…’</em> she thought before looking up at the numbers on the wall. <em>‘Room 315. Appears to be the place.’</em> She took in a deep breath as she folded the paper neatly, keeping to the creases she’d made earlier before slipping it into the small purse she had and walked in. <em>‘I hope it’s not assigned seating,’</em> she thought as she caught that there were still some desks in front of the room had yet to be claimed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span><em>‘Better at the front than the noisy back,’</em> she thought as she made her way to the empty desk, hearing her so-called peers shout, trying to talk over each other. <em>‘Seems like nothing really changes from Junior High after all,’</em> she thought as she slid the straps of her backpack off her shoulders and onto the desk before sitting down. She unzipped the main compartment, taking out the notebook she’d labelled </span>
  <b>MATH Per. 3</b>
  <span> with a sharpie and her pencil pouch of mechanical pencils. She’d opened it and labelled her notes the way she’d always had since she began Junior High - in the top right corner above the lines with her name, date, period, and the word notes arranged in a column.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was one of the things that made her a target - the fact that she’d kept meticulous notes. She was a target of as much ridicule as she was a target of people asking to copy off her notes. And she always had the same answer. No and to take better notes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She felt a tap on her shoulder and glanced in the direction, seeing another girl with blonde braids that almost touched the desk and a nervous expression. But there was something about her, how she held herself maybe, how she seemed to have one part of her constantly moving, that told her that this girl was going to be a handful if she wasn’t careful. She tilted her head at the girl and her nervous expression.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“By any chance,” she said nervously, biting her bottom lip, “do you have a spare pencil I can borrow?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She merely sighed and looked into her pencil pouch. She’d put eight into her pouch last night, and if she loaned it out, she was unlikely to ever get it back. Still, if she did something nice, the least she got out of it was a feeling of having helped someone. Unlike in Elementary school, one lost pencil was simply one lost pencil and wasn’t going to result in getting punished. She grabbed one of the mechanical pencils, the one that was pink and thus she wouldn’t be upset had it never returned, and handed it over to the nervous girl who made her nervous just being in the same room as her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thanks! I’ll be sure to give it back after class!” the girl exclaimed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Don’t bother,” she said, turning back to her pre-class preparations.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Huh?” the girl asked, “whaddaya mean?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She let out a sigh before turning to face who she swore was going to be the biggest nuisance she’ll ever meet before saying, “you’ll need a pencil for your other classes, right?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You mean it?” she asked, her face brightening more than it already was to the point that Ami wondered if she was going to need to pull out her shades.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She merely nodded before the girl exclaimed, “you are so awesome! I can’t believe I have such an awesome friend!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m not your friend,” she stated in a deadpan before the one minute bell went off.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What’s your name, new best friend? You can call me Sophie,” she said brightly with a wide grin that made her fight back a sigh of annoyance.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ami,” she said right before the tardy bell went off.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She paid rapt attention as the teacher went over who they were and that this was indeed math before going through roll call. Two names in was her’s.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Camille Anderson?” the teacher called.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Present. I’d like to be called Ami, please,” she stated calmly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Your name’s Camille?” she heard the girl next to her ask.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span><em>‘God, if you’re out there and give a crap about me, please grant me strength,’</em> she thought with a sigh.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She breathed a sigh of relief as she carried her lunch with her into one of the few courtyards of the school, just a small square of cement with a single tree in the center and benches around the tree and the perimeter of the square courtyard. She’d spied the perfect place to relax and read, right on the bench next to the tree, in said tree’s shadow. She walked over the uneven pebbly cement and sat down, eager to eat and finally engage in reading the novel she’d checked out of the library that morning. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>So she sat, novel opened in her left hand, burger in her right, happily reading by herself. She was more content in school at that moment than she’d been up to that point. No one bugging her or insulting her or going out of their way to either provoke her or hurt her feelings. Just peace. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Heeeey!” she heard a familiar voice exclaim in a sing-song, “whatcha doing?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span><em>‘Wishing that homicide wasn’t taboo,’</em> she thought as she kept chewing her food and motioning with both hands as if to show her exactly what she was doing. <em>‘Is this punishment for some kind of sin I’ve committed?’ </em></span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What kind of novel is it?” the girl from math, Sophie asked brightly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span><em>‘What do I need to do in order to be left alone?’</em> </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Does it matter? Why are you even talking to me?” she asked with a sigh once she’d swallowed her mouthful of burger.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I wanted to return this,” Sophie said brightly, bouncing on her heels as she held out the mechanical pencil in both of her hands like it was a priceless artifact, “I got some pencils from the school store.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thanks,” she said, accepting the pencil and sticking it behind an ear for later.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No, I should be thanking you!” Sophie exclaimed, “by the way, there’s some people I want you to meet.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Not interested,” she stated with a frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Oh god. This just keeps getting worse.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“C’mon, they’re awesome people.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’ll like them and they’ll like you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“How many times do I need to decline?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“As many times as it takes before you accept.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span><em>‘Urge to murder rising.’</em> She let out a sigh and regretfully returned the novel to her backpack before sliding it onto her shoulders and stood up, the rest of her lunch in her hands.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Fine. But if you’re wrong, I eat lunch alone,” she said with a growl of frustrated annoyance.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, I’m usually not about these things. You’re a nice person, Ami. Even if you seem intimidating, I can tell that you’re a big softie,” the girl said before grabbing her wrist and dragged her off, away from where she wanted to be.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She paused in her story, taking a sip of her cider. She could see amusement on Angeal’s face and she knew why. When she’d played through Crisis Core, what made it so difficult for her was the fact that she saw Sophie in both Zack and Aerith. Not to mention knowing that Zack was going to die and Aerith wouldn’t know.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You know, I could see Zack doing that,” Angeal said with a chuckle.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah,” she admitted, “I’m glad that I wound up here. I don’t think Gaia would survive if she was brought here instead. I think the first casualty may have been your sanity, Angeal.” She let out a sigh before saying, "if she were still alive."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : : .</span>
</p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Author’s Note: 1/28/21</p><p>This whole chapter is Ami self-sabotaging herself. She’d have kept going if she hadn’t said the word ‘solitude’. It’s like Angeal and Genesis’ trigger word for when they know Sephiroth should not be left alone, lol. The guys are enjoying this portion of her story and what’s not included are all the times Angeal and Genesis would be glancing between themselves or towards Sephiroth, pretty much going “we’ve got another project, just as bad as he was.” And them wordlessly exchanging in-jokes and comments between themselves. </p><p>I originally had Ami share her story about what happened the first and last time she had friends but edited it because I later felt like it was too soon for her to bring it up and I felt that I could have done more and done it better. </p><p>At the point the flashback is going on, Ami really is just focused on classwork and not on socializing because she always is expecting it to end poorly. She also really hates it when excitable people decide to ruin her plans and solitude. She’s in a constant state of grumpiness and is almost like a cactus. Mostly due to trauma, really. </p><p>Also, in the time I was working on this chapter, I got an AO3 account set up so I’ll be posting/uploading/updating this fic there as well. I even got the username I wanted, so I’m happy. </p><p>Random BtV Trivia Time: At the time of the flashback, Ami’s standard wardrobe is mostly blacks and muted colors, sarcastic t-shirts, and jeans. She also favored black sneakers and a pixie style haircut which translates to mess of loose curls. </p><p>Laters!<br/>~Gregora</p><p>Next time on BtV: Ami continues her story/flashback.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0014"><h2>14. Friendship's End</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Ami continues her painful story.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Disclaimer: I don’t own squat except for Ami. I’m just playing in Square-Enix’s sandbox, yo. Also, I need feedback and lots of since I know I’m not perfect and if things don’t mesh or match up, I’d like to know how to fix it. Anyways, on with the story!</p><p>Trigger Warning: suicide, death, guilt, internalized ableism.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Chapter Fourteen</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ami stared at the label of the bottle of the cider, knowing what happened next. The memories were still painful to bring up, but it had to be done. After all, it might just kill her chances of being friends with her current roommates. And that would make the future definitely easier to deal with, right? She was starting to have her doubts. She took another gulp of the drink, knowing that she was likely to need a second long before she was done with her tale. She tapped a fingernail against the glass.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So she led me to her friends…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The group was huddled around an alcove in the hallway, a section of wall between groups of lockers that lined the walls, nestled just out of everyone’s way. five people, five voices laughing and telling jokes. She and Sophie made it seven. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Cheers!” one of them said in greeting, lifting the milk carton up, “looks like you found that stray you were looking for, Soph.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The person saying this was another girl, with lighter brown hair bordering on auburn. She, like Sophie, were all smiles. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I hope Sophie wasn’t too much of a bother,” another said, clearly another girl, but she looked older than she was, giving her a warm smile, “I’d say that she normally isn’t like this, but she is. Sorry.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Not your fault,” she responded with a nod, seeing the group making space for her as Sophie took up an empty spot in the huddled circle.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Welcome to the dregs of Ridgemont High’s society!” another girl said, raising up a bottle of dark soda.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She tilted her head, not understanding what the other girl meant.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“She means welcome to the outcasts,” the clear leader said with a warm smile, “you’re one of us now.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Uhh… thanks?” she responded, carefully sitting herself down.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So introductions. We know your name’s Ami. You can call me Tori, I’m apparently the leader because everyone here says so,” she said with a bit of a frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tori had long dark hair which was pulled back and clearly wore makeup but it was very subtle. She wore slacks and a plain blouse and a necklace which looked like one half of one of those cheesy necklaces couples or best friends wore. She seemed to be utterly warm and serene.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s cause everyone know you’re our momma hen,” the girl to Tori’s left said with a wide grin before turning to Ami, “I’m Lily. Nice to meet you, Ami.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Lily was heavyset but wore clothes that did their best to minimize the obviousness of it, wearing a blouse and a loose skirt and sandals complete with socks. She also had dark hair, but it was straight and hung limp like a silky mop of hair, some tucked behind her ears. Her hazel eyes carried humor. She had a hard case next to her, likely a musical instrument. She’d been the one to welcome Ami and Sophie with the raised milk carton.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You can call me Butch,” the girl to Tori’s right said with a smile, a sketchbook on her lap and a pencil in hand, one of those sketching pencils and not one of those number twos.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Don’t be too in awe of me, Ami,” the girl between Butch and Sophie said, pulling the silk rose from behind her ear, “everyone is because I will one day be a famous movie star. I can hear them screaming my name, Nicole.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, screaming to get you off the stage,” Butch muttered before getting hit over the head by the silk rose.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Take that back!” Nicole exclaimed with a pout.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Never!” Butch exclaimed playfully, snatching Nicole’s silk rose from her hands and posed with it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m Gabby, nice to meet you,” the last girl, the one who Ami now was sitting next to with Lilly on her other side, said as she lifted her bottle of dark soda in a salute before taking a sip.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She’d never been in a crowd without it going horribly awry so she merely was silent, waiting for either things to blow up in her face or for lunch to end. She felt even more comfortable as she felt everyone’s eyes pierce her. It took everything to keep her breathing calm.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So tell us about yourself,” Tori said with a smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t like crowds,” she supplied immediately, “and I’m expecting you all to lead me on into a trap so you could laugh in my face.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We can relate,” Lily said quietly, seeming to withdraw.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Like I said, we’re society’s dregs,” Gabby said with a grin, “we’ve all been through the wringer cause of their stupidity. Se we gather together. Safer in numbers and all.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s ‘safety in numbers’, Gab,” Butch said with a heavy sigh.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I know it was. I was just breaking the ice,” Gabby said with a sigh.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Over the course of the lunch period, she slowly relaxed, realizing that she wasn’t alone anymore. They all had suffered at the hands of bullies and she’d seen their reactions to some of her not as bad anecdotes that they were honest in their anti-bullying stance. As everyone got up after the bell went off, signalling the end of the lunch period, she felt nervous.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Is it… will it be… maybe… okay… if I joined the group for lunch from now on?” she asked, feeling awkward since she’d never asked such a thing of anyone before.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“See? I told you!” Sophie exclaimed, narrowly resisting the urge to hug her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You seem cool,” Tori said with a smile, “a bit awkward and prickly, but I think we can help with that. Welcome to the group.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She couldn’t resist a bit of a warm but sad smile at the memory of the first lunch with her first and last friends. It might have been pleasant, but she still regretted having opened herself up. She could tell that all three of the guys were amused by the story.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We were all like a family. An actual family, nothing like my birth family,” she said with her sad smile, staring at the bottle, “we had each other’s backs. They taught me so much through their patience. I know that I’d be far more antisocial and even more socially oblivious than I am now. There was a time that I’d have thought I taxed their patience.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ami walked to the guidance office nervously. She had a pile of printed out papers wadded up in a hand as she swore she could feel her heart wanting to break free. <em>‘It just can’t be right. It can’t be true. Could it? I hope not. But what if it is?’ </em></span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What can I do for you, Miss Anderson?” her guidance councilor asked, noticing her standing there nervously.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I… um… I think I need your help clearing up a potentially troubling hypothesis,” she’d said, fighting the words out.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And what is that?” her guidance councilor asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I was doing research on Autism for my group project and… I found the diagnostic criteria... it looks like a checklist of everything I do… and I’d like you to see if there’s anything in my file about it,” she said, finally letting out the words on her mind as she felt the creeping tendrils of doom climb up her body as her guidance councilor pulled out her file.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It apparently was in front of her file because he didn’t need to move any papers or anything.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“In fact, it says you were diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome while you were in Elementary School,” her guidance councilor said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was like the world had shifted fifteen degrees and everything would never be the same. It felt as if the identity she’d fought for, created, built, had been shattered. She’d believed that she was just normal but with some quirks. Or she’d told herself, even when everyone told her how weird she was. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“T-thank you,” she stammered numbly as she felt like she was fighting gravity as she made her way to her homeroom class. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She’d been poking at her lunch, her mind occupied by the conversation with her guidance councilor that morning. Asperger’s Syndrome. A variant of autism. A disease. She was diseased and she’d never known. Would have never known if she hadn’t managed to be in the group doing a presentation of autism as part of the unit on genetic disorders. Did she even qualify as human?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ami,” Tori said in a gentle but stern tone, catching her attention, “something’s bothering you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It… it appears that I… I’m not who I thought I was… not who I led you to believe I am… I… I’m diseased… with a genetic disorder… Just found out this morning…” she’d said, shoving her lunch aside as she curled in on herself, her stomach uneasy, “I… I really thought… that I was normal… that I was a person… that they were just wrong… that I couldn’t be different… I never <strong>wanted</strong> to be different… why can’t I just be normal?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She hadn’t realized that she’d been crying.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What makes you think you’ve changed at all?” Tori asked with a chuckle, grabbing her attention as she stared at the leader of the group, “you’re still Ami, our friend. You’re still you. So what if you thought you were something you never were? It doesn’t change who you truly are deep down. If anything, this probably explains so many of your difficulties and issues.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She paused, her mind slowing to a crawl as it took in the new information.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“How do you know?” Ami asked, almost a hiss.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Because I know you, Ami. <strong>We</strong> know you,” Butch said gently.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sides,” Gabby said, “normal’s overrated. Normal are those people who tormented you. Do you really want to be like them? Really?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re right,” Ami relented, her fears having been beaten into submission.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After all, if she couldn’t trust her friends, who could she trust? Even a year and a half later, it still felt weird to have friends. To have people who cared.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I have no idea what state I would have been in without them,” Ami said, almost shivering, “but it would have been a very dark and very scary place.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No one bothered to tell you?” Angeal asked with a frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“My birth family didn’t give a crap and my adopted parents thought I knew,” she said with a shrug.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I haven’t heard these terms before,” Sephiroth said with a frown, “I wonder if they exist in some way under a different name. What can you tell me about them?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I can only tell you how the skills and downsides I got from my neurological difference, but perhaps I should finish my story first, if that’s okay?” Ami asked, not certain how to take his honest curiosity.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The fact that he was willing to research the topic to help him understand. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She polished off the last of her bottle of cider with a frown and set it aside.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Six months later, the school year ended and the three eldest members of the group graduated. Tori, Butch, and Nicole. Our leader, our artist, and our drama queen,” she said with a frown, “most of the group fractured without the glue holding things together. Some wandered off to new interests or to guys or what have you. All that was left was myself, Sophie, and Lily. The only three who clung together.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She hung her head, resting it in her hands. “I knew that Sophie had gone quiet. That something was plaguing her. But she wouldn’t talk. I didn’t know what to do but I tried my best. And as expected, my best, yet again, just wasn’t good enough.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She and Lily were walking through the mall, laughing. They’d planned on catching up at the food court to hang out and chill. But what caught her eye was Sophie, leaning against a railing and on the other side was a three story drop to the ground floor. She was absolute still, something she’d never seen Sophie be before. Fear clutched at her heart, but she willed it away. She was just paranoid.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Soph?” she asked, slowly approaching the other girl, hoping that it was just her paranoia.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She’d never sensed these feelings before and they were dark beasts that tore at her. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Leave me alone. You don’t care about me, you never have,” Sophie said quietly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sophie, I honestly have no idea what you’re going on about,” she said calmly, “it might be a good idea to step away before--”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Never tell me what to do! You… false friend. You don’t know or care what I face every day!” Sophie snapped.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Because you never talk to me anymore!” she snapped back, “how am I supposed to know if you don’t tell me? I’m not effing psychic, Soph. I can’t always know what’s going on in your head. What I do know is that you’ve got my attention and I’ll always be there for you. All you ever need to do is ask.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m just tired,” Sophie said before climbing on top of the railing, “I’m ready to sleep.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She’d tried to grab her, but she was too stunned as the other girl who had been so spirited, leapt to her death.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Why didn’t you do anything?!” Lily screamed at her, punching her, “what kind of friend are you?!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She let out a sigh, closing her eyes. She willed the tears away. The guys had seen enough emotional outbursts from her as it is. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It was… difficult… returning to my usual solitude after that,” she said quietly, “everyone who cared blamed me because I didn’t act. Because I clearly didn’t care enough. After that, I decided that it was best to not give friendship another go. It hurt bad enough the first time. But the worst part is the fact that it’s been years and I thought I excised the pain. But it’s still there and I hate it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She glanced up, looking at the clock and hummed, knowing that the guys were in different states of trauma from her story. She didn’t want to make their night worse. They’d suffered enough that night.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s late,” she said quietly, knowing that her voice was a calm near-monotone, “I’ll see you guys in the morning. Good night.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She took care of her bottle before quietly heading up, not hearing the guys say anything in the stunned silence.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Even if Sephiroth couldn’t hear her thoughts, her emotions bled through the connection. Shame, regret, sorrow, grief, loss, guilt, hate, resignation and fear. It was a complicated mess and it bothered him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, she wasn’t wrong in saying it ended badly,” Genesis said with a frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I can understand why she’s got attachment problems,” Angeal said quietly, obviously trying to focus on the next step, “anyone would after that. Her first friends… abandoning her…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, we can just not ever abandon her like that,” Genesis offered.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It does prove to be a troubling situation,” Sephiroth said with a frown of his own, “I know that I would be in bad shape if something similar happened to the two of you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I know, Seph,” Angeal said with a frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“The problem is that we need to prove to her that we’re not like that,” Genesis said with a frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I think we’ve done all we can tonight,” Angeal said with a sigh, “she’s going to be quite a project.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It appears that while I may have gotten a student, you may have gotten another stray,” Sephiroth said with what passed for a teasing grin for him, amusement in his words.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Seems so, doesn’t it?” Angeal asked with a slight smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : : .</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Author’s Note 1/29/21</p><p>Some of this was actually taken from my own experiences (except for the suicide bit). I’d formed an idea of who I was and it got shattered by finding out about my autism diagnosis. My dad had known but neglected to tell me because the girlfriend he had at the time was very controlling about not letting me hear about “adult matters” which conflicted with how open he was. He always made sure that I had a say in any and all decisions which would affect me, something she wasn’t too happy about.</p><p>Suicide really sucks, especially for those who are left behind. The way my dad went was pretty much suicide as he declined treatment for kidney failure. So yeah, it sucks and it’s horrible when it happens. Mental health’s insanely important.</p><p>The sad thing is that the guys really have their work cut out for them considering what she knows which she isn’t telling anyone about. She’s doing her best to avoid telling them anything, especially Sephiroth. Who’s willing to bet that not being open about it is going to bite her in the tush?</p><p>Random BtV Trivia Time: Sephiroth is not an emotionless robot. He’s just been trained to not show his emotions (training which Angeal and Genesis are working to undo). That plus the piles of trauma Hojo inflicted on him and not having been taught how to emotionally regulate or deal with emotions mean he’ll bottle things up until he can’t. He really fluctuates between confused teenager, over emotional teenager, and Silver General a lot. At this point, he’s roughly 19-20 (which is also around the same age he was in Crisis Core). Let’s just admit that the guy’s a wreck in need of a lot of therapy (and it’s all Hojo’s fault).</p><p>Laters!<br/>~Gregora</p><p>Next time on BtV: Ami continues her campaign of tormenting an increasingly worried and concerned Sephiroth.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0015"><h2>15. So Over the Line That it's Miles Away</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Ami's still self-sabotaging but has gone far past the line that she's starting to wonder if her goal was what she really wanted. Sephiroth is utterly done with her crap.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Disclaimer: I don’t own squat except for Ami. I’m just playing in Square-Enix’s sandbox, yo. Also, I need feedback and lots of since I know I’m not perfect and if things don’t mesh or match up, I’d like to know how to fix it. Anyways, on with the story!</p><p>Trigger Warning:</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Chapter Fifteen</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Zack had thought he was having a normal day. He’d gone off to do some missions out in the slums to clear some of the more dangerous monsters, went to do his regularly scheduled training and drills with Angeal, and was taking a break, sitting in the SOLDIER break room with a cold can of soda. His day suddenly became unusual when Sephiroth walked in, which he’d never seen the General do before. He also never seen said General block the only door in or out.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I have a question for you, Zack,” Seph stated, getting a nod from Zack before continuing, “what would you do if someone went from normal to suddenly acting out of their apparent character?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ask them what’s making them act that way, figure out the problem and help them with it,” Zack responded with a frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ve tried that and she avoided the questions,” Seph said with a frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What is she doing?” Zack asked, half amused and half worried.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Clearly, she is trying to drive me insane,” Seph said with a slight frown, “I believe she might be trying to flirt with me.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He found that hard to believe. Every time he’d been around her, she was polite, a little socially awkward, but nothing which were indications of her having any kind of interest. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Maybe she just is a playful flirt who doesn’t mean anything about it?” Zack offered, “after all, if I suddenly found myself torn from Gaia and landed in an unfamiliar world, it would take me time to find my footing and relax. She probably is like this and doesn’t mean anything.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Even when such actions fall under sexual harassment?” Seph said with the same barely there frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, that’s when it’s not so playful anymore,” Zack said with a frown as he saw Seph move away from the door, “if you want, I can have a chat with her.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’d appreciate it,” Seph said before walking off.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He continued to sit, sipping at his soda, thinking of how he was going to handle the Ami situation. He couldn’t help but to feel like Seph had given him a special mission - that hardly ever happened - and it made him not want to fail this mission. He was still brainstorming when Ami walked in, went over to where sodas were stored before reaching the fridge and grabbed a warm soda. <em>‘Okay, something’s definitely wrong with her if she likes warm soda.’</em></span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Mind if I join you?” she asked, a slight frown on her lips and knitted brows, looking like someone who had a lot on their mind.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Who am I to turn down a pretty lady?” Zack responded with a smirk.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She merely raised an eyebrow at him before sitting down. Her face drifted toward the window, looking out over Midgar through the faint smog which seemed to cover the city by midday. She let out a sigh.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Can I ask you a serious question between the two of us?” she asked quietly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Of course,” he said, “any time.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Is it best to cause pain now to avert worse pain later or to just not cause any and have everything fall apart around your ears?” she asked quietly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Does this have anything to do with what’s happening with Seph?” he asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She merely took a sip of her warm soda and kept looking out at the smoggy cityscape. <em>‘Well, that’s definitely an answer. Wonder what she’s trying to prevent by driving Seph crazy?’</em></span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“How do you know if it’s going to end badly?” he asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I just do. It’s guaranteed to end badly for someone. Lots of someones, no matter what I do. It’s all a matter of who do I want to have hurt and when,” she said quietly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“...and then she chugged the rest of her soda and walked off,” Zack finished, standing in front of his desk in his office.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sephiroth kept his anger hidden the best he could. Anger wasn’t useful right now. All he had was subtle hints, not exactly evidence. Unless he could get her to tell him or one of his friends what exactly happened, he couldn’t act. He merely let out a quiet exhale.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thank you for your assistance,” he said, giving the younger man a gesture which meant that he could leave.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Zack looked like he wanted to say something but closed his mouth, gave him a nod and walked out without another word. He moved everything to the back of his mind before continuing tackling his paperwork.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maybe if he focused on his paperwork enough, he wouldn’t feel like he was being caged again, this time in his office</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When Shinra deemed that Sephiroth needed an office, they’d cleaned out what had been a mostly unused storage room on the SOLDIER floor. As such, Sephiroth found it functional, but it had some issues, but ones which were more mild annoyances to survive and try to overcome than problems which require solutions. Such as the continual musty smell, the sub par ventilation, and the fact that there were times he would have wanted a window to add some natural lighting so that he might be able to simply turn off the fluorescent lights whose buzzing was definitely a problem in need of a solution. He’d considered lamps until he realized that the office had limited space since it was the size of the cell he’d grown up in the lab.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He’d noted the similarities as soon as he’d surveyed his office, which did not do much for making the space that much more enjoyable. One of the reasons he went out of his way to spend less time inside the office as possible and why he’d spent so much time in the evenings working on paperwork at the apartment. He frowned as he moved the form he’d finished filling out to the outbox, seeing another report that had dropped on his desk while he’d been focusing on assessing Ami’s abilities.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span><em>‘Just what were they thinking, adding more tasks for me to deal with? Clearly, they want to keep me busy,’</em> he thought with a frown as he could sense Ami approach.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He closed his eyes and let out a sigh. He wasn’t in the mood for her newest antics. He turned back to reading over the report, hoping to use it as a barrier. He heard her knock once before walking through the open door.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Didn’t know you had an office,” she said before asking, “why do you even have an office?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Can you go pester someone else? I’m occupied.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She just stood there quietly as he sat there behind his desk, trying hard to focus on reading the report in his hands. After reading the same three lines three times, he looked up at her. He’d been about to chase her off but she stood there with a frown and her eyebrows were furrowed, angling towards the bridge of her nose and her head was slightly tilted. It looked like she was thinking.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He let out a sigh before asking, “what are you thinking?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Mostly whether I could convince you to let me do something,” she said quietly with a slight grin growing.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And what is it that you want to convince me to let you do?” he asked, “considering your recent behavior, I’m inclined to keep this desk between us.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He saw her flinch and look away in response, her frown growing. He filed that reaction away in the back of his mind as another piece to the puzzle he’d been working on. She rubbed the back of her neck, not looking at him for a moment before sighing.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I promise that I’ll only touch your shoulders,” she stated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I suppose that it might be faster to just allow it,” he said with a frown as he saw her close the door before approaching him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He loosened his coat as she stood behind him. He practically leaped out of his chair once she applied pressure on what he realized was a muscle knot.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, thought so,” she hummed with a frown, “this will most likely going to be a bit painful, but I think I can work it out. You’re also really tense.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He bit back a sound as she rubbed the spot again with her thumbs.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“How many people do you do this to?” he asked with a frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Several,” she said before she stopped, “in fact, the last time I did this…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She walked away, almost looking like she was fleeing him, leaving his office door opened behind her as he readjusted his coat. He couldn’t help but to notice that his shoulders felt a little less stiff than usual. However, he frowned, knowing the implication. <em>‘She used to do that with her friends.’</em> He compartmentalized everything to do with just what happened and went back to his paperwork.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He heard a single solid knock on the doorframe and looked up, seeing Angeal. His friend seemed troubled with a slight frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Seph, have you seen Ami recently?” his friend asked, “she didn’t show up for training with Zack and I and she has yet to be anything but punctual.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“She just dropped by,” he said before looking at the clock, “about forty-five minutes ago.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He saw Angeal raise his eyebrows at him before letting out a sigh, “do you know where she was headed?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“She appeared to be leaving my office,” he stated before seeing Angeal pinch the bridge of his nose.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Right. I need to phrase my questions better,” he muttered clearly to himself before asking, “do you know what direction she was going after walking out the door?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I was going back to the report I was reading, so I wasn't paying attention,” Sephiroth responded with a slight frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He reached out to sense her mind, finding that her mind was on this floor, but there was something wrong. He’d picked up traces of fear and panic.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Have you checked the Training Room?” Sephiroth asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"No, but you think she might have roped herself into some training there?" Angeal asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"If you've looked everywhere else on this floor before asking me, then it's clearly the next place to look," he stated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thanks, Seph,” Angeal said before looking back at him, “and if you ever need hands to help with the paperwork, feel free to ask Gen and I for help.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“If I ever feel like I’m in need of assistance, I’ll inform you,” Sephiroth said with what he considered a smile before returning to combat the paperwork.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Angeal did not like what he found in the training room when he entered the enclosed control area, seeing Ami try to fight a simulated Ifrit by herself. She looked like she’d been set on fire multiple times and clearly was trying to throw Blizzard at it but the spell clearly wasn’t materializing. <em>‘She’s out of gas and still trying,’</em> he thought with a frown as he was already moving towards one of the computers to end the simulation.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What gives?” Ami shouted with a frown as he saw the details of the simulation.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You set the difficulty to its highest setting before starting a chain of simulations that are geared towards those who are better trained than you are,” Angeal almost growled out of annoyance, “you could have gotten seriously hurt or killed.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m fine,” she said defensively.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“<strong>Because</strong> I ended the simulation before that would happen,” he responded with a stern tone, “and furthermore, you’re not allowed to use this room alone until you reach First. As a cadet, you weren’t supposed to even be able to <strong>enter</strong> this room.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A part of him was almost amused as she looked away, rubbing the back of her neck in a stance he definitely recognized. <em>‘It’s like seeing Zack when he knows he just got caught breaking the rules.’ </em></span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeeeah,” she said, drawing the word out, “about that…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Before she could finish, he merely sighed, figuring that this was not his headache to deal with. After all, Ami was not his student. This was something for Seph to deal with.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m not the one you should be explaining yourself to,” he said with a sigh.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He could have sworn that she almost looked scared. He almost felt sorry for her. Almost.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ami knew she’d screwed up as she followed Angeal. <em>‘It’s like I’m back in school and I’m being sent to the principal’s office. Except this one has a really long and really sharp sword.’</em> She continued following Angeal wordlessly down a corridor as dread started to set in. <em>‘Yep. I am so, so dead. So, so, so, sososososo dead.’</em> Another left turn at the next intersection brought them to an empty door down a passageway. To the room that likely would be where she’d meet her demise if not a very displeased Silver General.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I found her,” Angeal stated, stepping into the room.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She’d followed, leaning over to try to diffuse the situation with a wave and a fake cheerful smile. <em>‘If it works for Zack...’</em> She saw Sephiroth raise an eyebrow at her and she dropped her hand. Yep, she was so dead. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“In the Training Room. </span>
  <b>Alone</b>
  <span>,” Angeal continued.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As soon as Angeal had said that one word, she could almost feel the anger radiate from her teacher in waves. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And how did she manage that?” Sephiroth asked as she could almost hear the cold fury in his voice.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I figured it was an explanation you deserve to hear yourself,” Angeal said, stepping aside.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She could almost feel Sephiroth’s angry gaze take in her state, the fact that she was definitely singed and probably looked a mess. She refused to admit to anyone but herself, and maybe Sephiroth, that she was quite likely on the verge of actually getting hurt had Angeal not ended the simulation.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She rubbed at the base of her skull, definitely not looking at the obviously angry Firsts. Yeah, she definitely felt like she was in the principal’s office. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Mind explaining yourself?” Sephiroth asked quietly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She realized that with all of the Principal’s Office vibes, her mind had reverted to old habits. Old habits she’d acknowledge later that they should remain old for good reason. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I might,” she responded, unable to keep the smirk off her face.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Might what?” Sephiroth asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Mind,” she responded, getting a groan of frustration out of Angeal.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s not what he meant, and you know it,” Angeal practically growled, “the longer you avoid telling us, the worse it’s going to be for you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So I wanted to blow off some steam and it wasn’t in use, so what?” she asked with a shrug.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Your keycard should not have granted you access to the Training Room,” Sephiroth stated, his voice almost a low growl, now standing up from his desk.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, I kinda noticed when I tried,” she admitted moments before the Second she’d bumped into earlier - with the name of Lucas Thorne - poked his head into the office.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sorry, sir, but,” Lucas said before seeing Ami and shooting her a questioning glare, “... you… did you?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Here ya go, Lucas. Thanks for letting me borrow it,” Ami said, returning the keycard/ID to the brown haired man.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thanks,” Lucas said icily before leaving.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She swore she saw the two Firsts twitch as she felt them glare at her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Really?” Angeal asked, clearly angry, “you stole it?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Borrow,” she stated, “I had every inclination of returning it at the first opportunity.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You didn’t have his permission, so it’s stealing,” Angeal almost snapped, “and for what reason? Just so you could go toe to toe through a chain of simulated summons with the difficulty set to max!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I needed to vent!” Ami countered, “and I didn’t want anyone else to get hurt.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You could have talked to any of us,” Angeal practically growled.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, I’d rather not, thanks,” she responded with a frown, “I…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She clamped her mouth shut before it could get her in any more trouble. Before she could mention that she was starting to maybe consider them as her friends. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That doesn’t change the fact that you’ve broken several rules with your stunt,” Sephiroth said, now standing next to his desk, putting him within arm’s reach of Ami, “you’ve stolen a Second’s key card, entered the Training Room by yourself, used it unmonitored, and I can make a very good case for insubordination. Is this how you’re going to be when you become a Third? Are you even aware of how this reflects on not just yourself but on me as your instructor?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Playtime is over, Ami,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> she heard him telepathically tell her, the words full of anger and warning.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She couldn’t help but to stare at her feet. She knew that it wasn’t exactly the brightest idea she had, but at the time, she hadn’t cared. Part of her was glad that he was angry and upset at her, but part of her wasn’t. She hated the part of her who wanted to actually cut it, who wanted to have someone be proud of her. The part of her who was eager for any sort of attention. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“With everything you’ve done over the last few days, I have some very good reasons to have Director Lazard remove you from SOLDIER’s database and hand you back over to Hojo myself,” Sephiroth continued.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Seph,” Angeal said quietly, sounding surprised.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She heard the movement of leather, likely Sephiroth gesturing to Angeal. It didn’t matter. She’d screwed up royally to the point that she made herself unwanted. <em>‘Once again, you just had to screw everything up,’</em> said a voice in her head that sounded like her stepmother, <em>‘why can’t you do anything right, worthless good for nothing of a mistake!’</em> She crossed her arms tightly around herself, something she knew made her look confident or arrogant but also made her feel better. She willed her tears not to fall, she knew she looked weak and pathetic enough. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I thought taking you on as my student would prevent you from experiencing what it’s like to live up there. And how do you show appreciation for my protection? Through actions which would fall under sexual harassment on top of your recent escapade,” Sephiroth continued.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She admitted that she was almost wishing he could just stab her through her heart already and just let her die. She felt her hands itch for one of her blades, just to do it herself. It was her only solution. She’d gone too far and crossed too many lines and now, he was giving up on her. And he was handing her back to Hojo. Bright side, she’d succeeded in having him push her away and give up on her. Yet, the victory felt hollow and bitter, like it was a defeat. Like it was nothing more than utter, complete failure.<em> ‘Stupid girl, thinking that you could ever succeed at being more than failure,’</em> the voice that sounded like her stepmother hissed into her ear, <em>‘thinking you could ever be a person.’ ‘A… person…’</em> her own internal voice mused quietly, <em>‘...wonder how much of my humanity is left… what humanity I did have to begin with…’</em></span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Tell me. Why should I continue to keep you as my student when you can’t even follow basic rules? When you seem to enjoy crossing lines and boundaries set in front of you? Why should I continue to protect you from Hojo and offer you as much freedom as I can?” Sephiroth asked, his voice almost a wrathful whisper to her ears.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She opened her mouth, finding that her throat refused to work. She took a breath and tried again. She hadn’t been put into a state where she couldn’t speak since she’d been adopted. And here she was, trying to speak and having the words, but her throat refused to engage. She struggled with her throat, her mouth dry as a desert. She started to feel a new pain, a tightness in her chest which made breathing increasingly difficult. The room started to feel like it was spinning. She recognized what was going on at that point. She was having a full-blown panic attack over the very real likelihood of Sephiroth dragging her sorry self to Hojo and leaving her there. She didn’t know how to keep it from escalating.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m waiting for an answer,” Sephiroth stated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She forced herself to look up at him, feeling as if her head was heavier than what she could lift. She saw his expression, his lips drawn taut, his eyebrows tilted downward and clear, restrained anger in his gaze. The next thing she knew was oblivion.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sephiroth didn’t know how to make of it when Ami collapsed in his office. It was due to his reflexes that he’d caught her and sat her down in one of the chairs in front of his desk. As hard as she’d been sealing their connection, he’d picked up her emotions. Some of them he didn’t even know words for, some he’d never experienced. But he certainly recognized fear. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I think she just had a panic attack,” Angeal said with a frown, “are you really going to hand her back to Hojo?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Of course not,” Sephiroth stated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I think I see what you’re doing,” Angeal said, still frowning, “I don’t like it. There are other ways you could have handled this situation, Seph.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“As I’m aware,” he responded, “however, if I make my intentions abundantly clear what the result of failing to remain within boundaries are, I prevent similar events in the future.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“By making her fear you,” Angeal said, his frown deepening, “is that what you want?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“If doing so creates a beneficial result,” he said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Careful, Seph. You’re sounding like Hojo there,” Angeal said, obviously concerned.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He actually paused at that, feeling the sting of Angeal’s words. If it had been anyone else, he would have snapped at them in anger. Instead, it gave him pause. It made him consider.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What would you suggest I do?” he asked his friend.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Discipline her like a disobedient SOLDIER. Give her extra duties, take away some privileges,” Angeal advised, “but pushing her to have a panic attack to the point of unconsciousness?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Any words Sephiroth may have said died as he sensed her mind flutter awake. Moments later, she stirred. She looked around the office before an expression of dread and terror set in.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I see you’re awake,” he stated calmly, “I need you to tell me why I should continue to be your instructor.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ve got nothing,” she said quietly, looking away, “I have no reasons. I know that I’m unworthy. Known that from the beginning. You deserve a better student.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He felt it odd that she’d had periods of actual confidence and now, it was like her confidence had been shattered. Fortunately, he knew that after time, that confidence would return. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“How do you know if you’re unworthy?” he’d asked with more curiosity than anger, the anger had since dried up once she’d passed out.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Because I don’t know what it feels to be worthy of anything,” she said quietly, not making eye contact, “I guess we should get going then.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I know that everyone makes mistakes, Ami,” he said as she stood up, “and that everyone deserves second chances. If you feel unworthy of being my student, that means you feel that you have room to grow. It means you have a goal to work towards. There’s nothing wrong with it as long as it doesn’t impede your growth.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So you’re not giving me back to Hojo?” she asked, looking hopeful as her eyes and face brightened a bit.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Do you want me to?” he asked, knowing the answer.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No. Not really. So I’m off the hook, then?” she asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He knew the perfect punishment. He’d already had everything set up and in place ahead of time for the week after the exam. He could inflict her punishment on her after the workday was over but before dinner. It would be a waste of Angeal’s cooking otherwise.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hardly. You’re going to spend the rest of the day assisting me and afterwards, I will be moving up a specific training in our schedule to this evening before dinner. I had scheduled it for the week after next, but it seems to be an adequate punishment,” he said with a small smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“May I ask what this ‘specific training’ is?” Ami asked, looking worried and suspicious.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“First session of Parachuting training,” he said with a smile, seeing Angeal nod in approval.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Can you just stab me through the heart with Masamune and call it done?” Ami asked in clear horror.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’d rather not. I don’t feel the need to take time out of my schedule to clean up the mess that would result,” he commented, “as well as the additional paperwork.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : : .</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Author’s Note: 1/29/21</p><p>I know there was more to the “drive Sephy insane” bit but I didn’t feel comfortable with making it be focused on because of how culture has shifted and how it just felt really crack-y. I don’t think he really would hide from her in more dramatic ways (originally, he ducked into the break room and hid in the covered recycling bin to avoid her). He’d be more likely to bar the door with his weight/strength and wait her out (which was what he did here). </p><p>I figure that Angeal’s anger is part because Ami broke several rules and part out of concern. And a lot of Sephy’s anger is completely because she’d been knowingly crossing boundaries in private for the last two days and he was done with her crap. The whole thing about stealing a Second’s key card and using the Training Room alone was the last straw for him. </p><p>I hope that I haven’t needlessly padded things out. I’m kind of insecure like that.</p><p>I’ve also changed some terms. The main arcs are now going to be called “eras” and there’s two I’m planning to focus on. This is the first era which is (unsurprisingly) being referred to as CC and covers about 2-3 years’ worth of time. Then there’s going to be a bit of a time jump/glaze over about 5 years. I admit I’ve written the last chapter of the CC era already and… I’ll just say that it hurt me. Almost as much as the first chapter of the second (and final planned) era. That one hurt too. I’ve done a few chapters of events happening between the two eras but it’s more to explain all that have changed. </p><p>Random BtV Trivia Time: I completely forgot some of my original plans for this fic (just a few specific details) but I did remember the general idea that Ami will be a plot wrecking ball and create an alternate universe. However, this time, she’s not the only one trying to influence events. Also I’ve got the ending in mind, but that’s far in the future. It’s going to be very bittersweet if it goes the way I’m thinking.</p><p>Laters!<br/>~Gregora</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0016"><h2>16. Punishments and Reflections</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Ami suffers through her punishment, spends some time reflecting (aka sulking), and Sephiroth tries to fight the paperwork monster at home.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Disclaimer: I don’t own squat except for Ami. I’m just playing in Square-Enix’s sandbox, yo. Also, I need feedback and lots of since I know I’m not perfect and if things don’t mesh or match up, I’d like to know how to fix it. Anyways, on with the story!</p><p>Trigger Warning: Heights, fear, phobia</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Chapter Sixteen</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>‘I know that there are so many fangirls back home who would kill to be in my shoes… er… boots, but I’d give anything to not be here,’ she thought to herself as she stood on the ledge with her back pressed against Sephiroth. He’d checked over her harness before clipping her in and now they were simply standing on top of a ledge and what appeared to her as hundreds of feet below her was a gap in the Midgar plate revealing the ground another three hundred or so feet beneath that. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“There’s nothing to be afraid of,” he stated with a definite air of amusement, just loud enough for her to hear him over the pounding of her heart before she leaned back away from the sight and closed her eyes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I won’t let anything happen to you,” he said as the two of them stood on the ledge.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Do you even <strong>know</strong> what a phobia is?” she asked, realizing that she was practically screeching at him in fear.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s an irrational fear and is something that needs to be broken,” he said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re just enjoying this, aren’t you? Scaring me to death!” she screeched at him as they reached the ledge.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You won’t die,” he said with a huff.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Doesn’t keep it from being terrifying!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“They do say that looking down does tend to make things like this worse for the fearful,” he said, still giving off an amused air.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And of course, she had to look. Again. And practically clung to Sephiroth the most she could while practically being secured to him. She clenched her eyes closed in sheer terror.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We’re not moving until your eyes are open,” he stated patiently, “it’s hardly training if your eyes are closed the whole time.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I swear, you’re putting me through this because you’re an evil, sadistic jerk!” she screeched.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We were going to do this in two weeks. As punishment for all the rules you’ve broken today, I rescheduled this. I’ve got nothing to do with the fact that you are going to get parachute training at some point. At least I didn’t have you go through this with a complete stranger, which I could have. Or Genesis.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She could just imagine parachute training with Genesis. She could imagine the teasing and all the Loveless quotes. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He’d turn it into an excuse to beat Loveless into my head through brute force,” she muttered.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Everything’s an excuse to beat Loveless into anyone’s head to him,” Sephiroth stated, “I think he’s giving you a grace period before he gets into it during meals.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, once he starts quoting poetry, I may as well quote poetry back.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You like poetry?” he asked, clearly curious.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Just one particular poet. I have digital copies of all of his books on my phone. Really, the only poetry I ever got into and my first experience with poetry,” she admitted, “at least it’d be different from hearing nothing but Loveless.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ready to open your eyes now?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Not particularly.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re doing this to avoid the inevitable,” he said with a huff.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Doesn’t seem too inevitable to me if I can delay it,” she commented.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Without warning, she felt her feet leave solid ground as Sephiroth leaned them over and allowed gravity to pull them off the ledge.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The only times Ami remembered screaming were on amusement park rides and it was the fun kind of screaming. This was definitely not the fun kind of screaming as they plummeted. She could feel the wind against her, pressing her up against Sephiroth, her mind a haze of terror.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It appears that our parachute won’t engage,” he shouted into her ear with the same amount of alarm and panic as he would recite some fact or bit of knowledge he knew.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Her eyes opened in terror, the goggles keeping the wind away from them. If she was going to die screaming like she was eight, she may as well die with her eyes open. She saw the gap between sectors of the plate fast approach them and she was actually concerned if they were going to go splat on the plate. They managed to avoid collision with the plate, falling through the gap easy enough. And then she felt a jerk upright, realizing that she’d been tricked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You jerk!” she shouted, trying to playfully hit him, “you said that the parachute wasn’t engaging.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Of course it wasn’t. I hadn’t pulled the cord,” he responded, clearly amused.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She crossed her arms in front of her, knowing that she was now apparently stuck in the mindset of an eight year old. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It got you to open your eyes,” he said as she felt them rise in the air.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She looked up, seeing him use a materia to make them rise through the air. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Wind materia?” she asked, getting a nod from him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“When not in the field, I like to stay in the air as long as I can,” he explained.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Quietly, in the deepest recesses of her mind, far beyond her mental shield, she wondered if he had access to his wing yet and what his reaction would be when that happened. If it happened. Or will happen.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I see that you’ve stopped screaming,” he stated after a moment.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Doesn’t mean I’ve stopped being terrified,” she responded.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No, but it is an improvement. I’ve never heard anyone scream that loudly for that long on a single breath.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s probably from the years of choir in school,” she commented as she felt a pull upwards, bringing them back up through the gap in the plates.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’ve stopped shaking. Are you getting used to this?” he asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“More resigned that I’m stuck on the scariest amusement park ride ever until it’s done,” she said with a frown, still crossing her arms in front of herself, knowing she probably looked like a soaked kitten.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m sure that after a few more lessons, you’ll be less scared. After enough jumps, you’ll be able to do this on your own,” he stated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I think I’ll never be able to do this on my own,” she said with a frown as they continued to rise above some of the shorter high rises, the evening sunlight reflecting off of all the glass in golden light.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You only think that because you lack experience and confidence.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, well, I’m not exactly a wellspring of confidence.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You seemed quite confident when we met.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I was focused on seeing how long I could last against you. I could tell how dead I was going to be just because you had the advantage of reach against me. I’m just surprised that you were willing to toy with me that long.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You were amusing and someone new to fight. Not to mention that even if you aren’t as strong as I am, you did leverage every advantage you had, as small as they were. You earned my respect as a fighter based on your potential and the skill you showed.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah and then I threw your respect into the toilet today,” she said, looking down.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Today?” he asked and she could just hear the raised eyebrow in his voice.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She sighed before saying, “fine, last few days. I’ve been kinda… shitty towards you lately. I’m dealing with a lot right now and… to be perfectly honest, I’ve been trying to chase everyone away. Trying to make everyone give up on me.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Because of what happened to you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Because I know that this isn’t going to last.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What makes you think that?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Because I’ve only been happy one other time in my life and you know that story now.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re happy?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Not right this second because I’m still scared here, but in a general sense, yeah. Whenever I can pretend that Hojo doesn’t exist. I mean, I… I’ve had to hide who I am back in my world. The culture I’m from… there’s a lot of movies which have the message saying that it’s best to be yourself, not who you think everyone wants you to be… and then… people like me… we get told ‘not like that’ and we’re forced to sacrifice parts of ourselves in order to make everyone comfortable… knowing that if we scare the normal people… we can get hurt or killed. And I… I was one of the lucky ones.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“How so?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"A lot of us… don’t see adulthood. There’s too many news stories where children who were like me… were killed by their own parents… because they were too difficult, too much of a burden… or because the parents suffered to the point that they believed it was their only solution. The parents thinking it’s all about their woes, about how their children’s harmless behaviors upset them… I could have easily died if I hadn’t been lucky enough to be adopted by someone with enough money to throw around that he bribed my father and stepmom."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"He did?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"He said that I was an investment and I’d impressed him. He… and his wife wanted children but they were about to look into adoption when he came across me. I suppose he and his wife treated me as the daughter they couldn’t have."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You suppose?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I don’t know what it’s like to have actual caring parents. I just was aware that they listened a lot to my wishes, desires, dreams, boundaries, and respected me. They never punished me for existing. Or for following rules they’d set one day and the next, that rule no longer applied."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Our rules are never that flexible. And the more I hear about your parents, the less bothered I am of their fates."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She could see that they were starting to approach where they’d parked their motorcycles, still a lazy, drifting glide away.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Honestly, I’m not the type to torture anyone. I was just… not in a good headspace at the time. I allowed a lot of my darker parts of myself out that day. Also in my defense is the fact that it was through their actions or decisions that led me to being tortured by their hands or in the hands of others. It was only right that they got a taste of what they did to me."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I can understand that. I know that if Hojo weren’t necessary for our survival and I could do so in such a way that it couldn’t be traced to me, I’d do the same to him. That’s why I was so disturbed by seeing that memory."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Listen, if you decide that it’s time to put Hojo down, I’m on board to help. That’s one operation that I will absolutely without a doubt have your back on. If need be, I could assist in the planning."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You and Angeal, Genesis, and Zack."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"They want to help cause they’re your friends. I want to help because I want to see him suffer. I want to see him beg for mercy and find none."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"And you said that you’re not the torturing type."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"He’s earned a spot on my exceptions list."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Mind explaining?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"There are some types of people that deserve to suffer. Mostly rapists and pedophiles. And Hojo. Also Nazis, but that’s more my world and not this one."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"And what are those?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She telepathically sent him everything she’d learned in class about that mess. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I’m starting to think that your world might just be worse."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"It happened in my grandparent’s time. Had some great aunts and great uncles in the military at the time. I heard stories whenever I saw them."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You came from a military family?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Nothing direct, mostly grandparents, uncles. A couple of cousins, I think. I never got to see more than my grandparents once a year if I was lucky and other extended family even less. Still, I heard stories whenever I saw them, but I think I only saw them a couple of times. They seemed… nice. I was kinda… kept from my extended family. I think it’s because my extended family treated me differently than my parents."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was then that they’d gently landed, standing together. She’d heard the clicks of the equipment which connected them together coming undone and she suddenly felt a cold chill against her back. She took a few steps, her legs feeling weird from not having been standing for so long as she turned around, seeing Sephiroth remove the parachute from his back.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Next part of our lesson is how to fold it,” Sephiroth stated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She was sitting on the deck, having found a little alcove where it curved around the penthouse apartment, just past the elevator. Night had come to Midgar and all she could see were the lights of all the buildings and streetlights, streamers of darkness where she assumed the gaps between the plate sectors were. It all still felt unreal to the point that she’d caught herself pinching her arm, checking to see if it was a dream. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So that’s where you went, little sister,” a familiar voice said with humor as she found that the existence of the nickname didn’t sting as much.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She didn’t talk, just continued to sit on the bench, her back pressed up against the exterior wall and her heels resting on the edge of the bench in front of her as her arms hugged her knees to her chest.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You certainly look like you believe the morrow is barren of promises,” the familiar voice said with a sigh, “mind if I join you?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“As if it matters what I say sometimes,” she said quietly, not looking at Genesis.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Matters more than you think,” he said lightly before sighing, “you’re sulking.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She let out a sigh before saying, “let’s just say that I’m dealing with a lot of crap that’s insane and overwhelming and there’s literally nothing I can say or do. Like I’m on a runaway train bound for a sheer drop.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Angeal’s usually the best person for this sort of thing,” Genesis said quietly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, well, I cheesed him and Sephiroth off today,” she said, “and I don’t know who’s scarier when they’re angry.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I heard. Pickpocketed a Second just to nearly get yourself seriously injured in a simulation until Angeal found you. Then you were smart in the way that wasn’t. You were quite the troublemaker today.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Just today, huh?” she asked with a slight chuckle, “now I know that I’m slacking.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So you like to cause trouble too,” he stated with some amusement, “I admit, I’m not at all surprised.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“For a while, I stopped. I’d gotten in deep trouble with one of my shenanigans and got my adoptive dad upset. First and last time I’ve ever had him upset at me. So I stopped and focused everything on my schooling and martial arts. And then High School happened and you know that story.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You do know that we’re not going to do what they did, right? That you’re stuck with us, whether you like it or not. So get used to it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Or I could just go to sleep and then wake up back there, as if nothing had changed. I mean, I’ve already been yanked from one world. Who’s to say it won’t happen again?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And what makes you think that it would happen other than that once?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I know, it’s a silly fear.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hardly. You’re still adjusting. Everything’s still new.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“By the way, I haven’t gotten around to thanking you for helping me when I was hurt that day,” she said quietly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I figured I’d get in trouble if I just stood there.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Are you sure it’s not because you saw a damsel in distress?” she asked with a chuckle.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“A damsel in distress because she poked at a dragon.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Point.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Their conversation hit a lull as she just sat there, her mind busy. It was like every time she thought she had a handle on things, she got suckerpunched out of nowhere, ever since she’d found herself in Gaia. She just hoped that things would settle, just long enough for her to regain her balance. It was like she was tired in ways that sleep couldn’t help or fix.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You do know that you can talk to us, right? About anything.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“If only,” she said with a sigh.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Angeal frowned as Genesis finished explaining things. He could see what passed for a similar frown on Seph’s face. He was just thankful that the silver haired man had at least allowed himself to emote more compared to when they’d met. There was a reason he didn’t dare play any sort of bluffing games with him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m certain it’s Hojo’s doing,” Seph said, his voice betraying his emotions more than his face did before his attention went back to filling out the paperwork he’d brought home with him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“The timing does seem to line up,” he admitted, still frowning, “but I’d rather we know for certain. If we know what he said, we might be able to figure out a way to counter him.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So now what? I get the feeling that the only way she’ll talk is if we get her drunk. You remember what she was like. It was like hearing her full stream of consciousness,” Genesis said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Do you know how many gil’s worth of alcohol it took? And that was before she finished her treatment. I think she’s going to be as expensive to get drunk as Seph,” he said before letting out a slight sigh, “I think we should just be patient. She seems to be as cautious as a cat right now. I doubt Hojo’s going to make any further moves for a while. Besides, things have been rather exciting lately. Anyone would be overwhelmed and on top of it, her entrance exam is next week. How do you think she’s shaping up, Seph?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“If she can behave herself and has someone who can help her with the basics of swordsmanship, she’s got a good chance. Could I count on you and Zack with that?” Seph asked with a frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Of course,” Angeal said with a smile, “I’m sure Zack won’t mind helping someone closer to his skill level.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That would definitely be a great help while I fight my own monster in my office. I swear they decided to increase the amount of paperwork for me to do after deciding to saddle me with a mentee,” he muttered as he continued to work at the kitchen counter.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We’ve offered to shoulder your load many times, Seph,” Angeal reminded.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Which is why you’ll be shouldering Ami for a while.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You know how much of a perfectionist he is, Angeal,” Genesis said with a sigh.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m surprised you don’t have a secretary,” Angeal said, “they tend to help manage paperwork.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’ll take too long to train one up to my standards,” Seph said before pausing and looking like he was thinking.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Perhaps his friend was contemplating actually getting a secretary. He seemed to be lost in thought for a few moments before going back to working his way through forms and reports.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“How late are you planning on staying up?” he asked, worried for his friend.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Until it’s done.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“If you’re still here, doing paperwork in an hour, I have no problems using my sleep materia,” he warned.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Two hours. I’m not that tired yet.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m not playing this game with you, Seph.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He saw Seph let out a sigh before saying, “very well. One hour then.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : : .</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Author’s Notes: 2/2/21</p><p>Poor Ami having to be tortured, lol. And it took sixteen chapters for Ami and Genesis to have a little chat, which I think was a nice moment. And Angeal has to deal with Sephiroth’s chronic overworked-ness and perfectionist streak. Also Sephy has an idea, which is going to be revealed in the next chapter.</p><p>I wrote a couple of future bits, one being something that isn’t as far along the timeline as the other and in fact will be happening very soon, actually. I can’t wait!</p><p>Random BtV Trivia Time: I’ve got nothing, lol. Feel free to ask me questions, though!</p><p>Laters!<br/>~Gregora</p><p>Next Time on BtV: Sephiroth springs his idea. What is it?</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0017"><h2>17. Chapter 17</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Ami spends the rest of her week either going through sword drills with Angeal and Zack or doing extra work for Sephiroth.</p><p>An uncomfortable conversation causes Ami to run and hide. Fluffiness ensues.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Disclaimer: I don’t own squat except for Ami. I’m just playing in Square-Enix’s sandbox, yo. Also, I need feedback and lots of since I know I’m not perfect and if things don’t mesh or match up, I’d like to know how to fix it. Anyways, on with the story!</p><p>Trigger Warning: very vague references to rape, just as vague references to torture.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Chapter Seventeen</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So what’s the plan for today?” Ami asked as she ate breakfast, feeling loose and centered from having devoted some time to doing her Tai Chi routines.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Zack and I will be going over basics of swordsmanship with you,” Angeal stated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Then when you’re done, you’re to go straight to my office,” Sephiroth stated with a slight frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“May I ask why?” she asked, not knowing if she should be worried or not.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“After yesterday, I’m keeping you on a short leash and I’m assigning you some extra duties,” Sephiroth stated, giving her a glance, “it should be more difficult for you to get into trouble if you’re busy.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I thought scaring me to death and then back to life again was the punishment?” she asked with a frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It was. This is to prevent future trouble until I know you’ll behave yourself.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re getting off very lightly, Ami,” Angeal stated, “so don’t complain too much.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Her arms felt like noodles by the time she reached Sephiroth’s office. She noticed that a desk had been placed next to the door in such a way that people heading to his office would have to pass by the desk. ‘As if he’s got a secretary.’ The desk already had stacks of paperwork on it already. ‘I already feel sorry for the poor secretary,’ she thought as she walked by the desk. The door to the office was open so she peeked in, seeing that he appeared to have more paperwork than desk in the room. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Reporting to your office as ordered, sir,” she said, “so what’s this extra duty?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’ll be functioning as my secretary whenever you’re not training or studying regulation,” he stated as she felt the telepathic connection solidify between them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She found herself understanding the differing types of paperwork and forms and how he liked to organize them. He’d just sent her everything she needed to know to actually be his secretary. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Now take a stack from my desk and get to work sorting,” he ordered.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span><em>‘I feel like you’re doing this because you could take advantage of our connection,’</em> she sent at him with a frown as she took a stack of paperwork off his desk.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘I don’t have the time nor the patience to train a proper secretary. Since you’ll know how I prefer things, you can train an actual secretary after you become Third.'</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And this is the last of it, sir,” Ami said with a sigh, setting down the last stack.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Excellent,” he said with what passed for a smile, which was mostly raised corners of his mouth as he handed her a stack of paperwork, “please deliver these to their intended recipients and I’ll meet you in the parking complex.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She nodded, accepting the stacks, “I’ll meet you there when I’m done, then.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The rest of the week had gone on like that. Morning training sessions with Zack and Angeal and then she spent the rest of the day as Sephiroth’s secretary, which mostly meant running paperwork all over the Shinra building and getting paperwork into the correct piles as they came in. She’d noticed that the paperwork was in fact, going out in greater amounts than it was coming in. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I never knew you had a desk, sir,” she’d quipped that Friday.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Does seem that way sometimes, doesn’t it?” he commented back in an amused tone, “you’ve practically doubled my efficiency. Leads me to wonder why I didn’t think of having you assist me earlier.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“As useful as I seem to be, sir,” she said with a frown, “I’m not one to enjoy menial tasks, sir.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We are sometimes forced to do things we don’t enjoy. It’s simply how things work, it seems,” he said with a very slight shrug.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She’d noticed that he didn’t seem as stressed now that the paperwork had been dealt with as he handed her the last of the paperwork which needed to go elsewhere.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I think we deserve a break once you’re done,” he said with what she’d determine to be a smile, “meet me in front of the stairwell.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She nodded with a smile before running off. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ami frowned as she went through her fifth repetition of the sword drills Zack and Angeal had been instructing her. She found herself fighting a new kind of tedium as Sephiroth would point out a minor issue, have her repeat that specific sword drill until the issue was resolved and then had her restart the cycle of drills from the beginning.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I see you’ve been improving since the last time we worked with the standard issue sword,” he stated with a slight nod, “even if I had to work you through minor issues.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Doesn’t hurt that I practice at night whenever I can’t sleep,” she admitted quietly as she continued the drills.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hm?” he asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s just a few times,” she said with a shrug, “sometimes I need to work through some nervous energy. It’s nothing new.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And how are you doing with studying the handbook?” he asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh I finished reading it a few days ago. For good measure, I took my usual notes too,” she said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re not studying it?” he asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Before you get annoyed,” she said, “remember how I’ve said that my brain’s all strange and stuff?” She saw him give her a slight nod before she continued, “I have a slight photographic memory, but it only works with the printed page and whenever I take notes. I’ve never had to study a day in my life, sir.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Interesting. So you won’t mind a pop quiz then?” he asked with a smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Do your worst, sir,” she responded with a grin.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>By the time dinner came around that night, she was absolutely ravenous. She didn’t really engage in conversation as she was more focused on eating, but she did listen in.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I heard you took Ami down to the sparring rooms,” Angeal stated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“She’s been progressing beyond my expectations,” she heard Sephiroth say and she tried hard not to reveal that she might have narrowly avoided choking.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That coming from him was practically glowing praise. And yet, she didn’t exactly feel deserving of it. All she did was commit a book to memory and do additional sword drills at night before she went to bed. It was really the bare minimum. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Really?” Ami responded almost immediately after she’d recovered, “just how low <strong>were</strong> your expectations?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Everyone seemed to have been stunned by her statement before explaining, “it’s not exactly hard to go through a text with a highlighter while writing notes on the material nor is it exactly that hard to do some sword drills at night when I wake up in the middle of the night and have to work out some nervous energy.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“How long do these sessions tend to last?” Sephiroth asked lightly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Until I’m tired. The other night, I was at it until right before dawn,” she explained quietly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Was this the morning you looked positively undead?” Genesis asked lightly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I think so?” Ami responded, seeing Angeal pinch the bridge of his nose.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Gaia grant me strength,” she swore she heard Angeal mutter under his breath.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She gave Sephiroth and Genesis questioning glances.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re not the only one who sneaks in late night work,” Genesis supplied, giving a slight glance over to Sephiroth.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“To be fair, most of the time, I had to utilize a combination of things to force me to sleep through the night back there,” she admitted, “and I haven’t seen them in the stores I’ve been to. Of course, I haven’t gone to any grocery stores or pharmacies yet, either.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You know, you could have asked to go to those kinds of places,” Angeal said with a sigh.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ve been enough of a burden,” she responded with a frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re more of a burden if you don’t sleep well,” Sephiroth stated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I doubt you’re the best person to give that kind of advice, Sephy,” Genesis chided with a half smile, “pot calling the kettle black.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You know you can come to us at any time, right?” Angeal asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“As I’ve been hearing,” she said with a smile, “I get it that you guys want to help me out. I appreciate it, really. It’s just that I haven’t spent a full week with you guys. After how you guys reacted that one morning when I mentioned having my vengeance, I don’t know just how much I can open up to you guys.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We reacted that way because you don’t seem to understand that it’s wrong,” Angeal said with a frown, “not that I’m saying what they did to you was right. But you didn’t have to.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I agree. I didn’t have to kill them,” she said, doing her best to fight off the memories of the pain and to remain calm, “and if they hadn’t made my first ten years of life a constant torture, I wouldn’t have wanted to show them how much they’d hurt me. They didn’t even try to apologize. Honestly, that’s all I wanted to get out of them. An apology where they acknowledged what they did to me was wrong, even if it was utterly fake, spoken only to stop the pain. Which would have been far more merciful than they were to me. Or the clients they rented me out to.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Do you even understand that torture is wrong in and of itself?” Angeal asked, looking disgusted.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“If it’s so wrong, then why were my so-called parents allowed to do so? If it’s such a massive taboo, then why did no one bothered to stop it? And to make myself perfectly clear here, I’m not advocating for torturing random people who cross my path. I’m just saying that I dished out a tiny fraction of what I had to endure from them. I’d like to think that I’m at least a halfway decent person, all things considered,” she said with a frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span><em>‘Sometimes I’d like to think I’m a person, period,’</em> she thought to herself.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’d have thought that you wouldn’t want to inflict on others what you had to endure,” Angeal said with a frown, “from what you said, they were already out of your life. So why dig it up and torture them?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She let out a sigh, looking down at her food, poking at it with a fork for a moment before saying, “it’s possible that I wasn’t exactly in the best psychological shape. It happened in the same calendar year as what happened to those I considered my friends. But I won’t lie and say that I feel remorse over it just so you guys can move on because I don’t exactly enjoy lying either. Mostly because I can’t lie or bluff worth beans. To be perfectly honest, there’s only one person I’ve encountered in this world I’d ever entertain torturing and that’s Hojo.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’ve got an issue with Hojo too?” Angeal asked, “from what I can gather, you’ve only had to deal with him twice.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He’s… said some things that make me feel unsafe living in Midgar,” she admitted carefully.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Once you become Third, his options become limited,” Sephiroth stated, looking almost calm, “and if he ever becomes an issue for you, inform me immediately. I’ve had… extensive dealings with him.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span><em>‘That’s the biggest understatement I’ve ever heard,’</em> she thought, making sure she was mentally quiet and far, far behind her mental shields. The last thing she needed was for him to overhear that kind of comment and realize that she might know way too much about everyone and everything than she should for being someone from another world.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Although I am curious as to exactly what he told you,” Sephiroth said, his eyes focusing on her with interest.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I bet you are,” she commented, deciding to keep her mouth occupied with food to avoid answering the questions which were obviously coming.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It has something to do with me, doesn’t it?” Sephiroth asked, staring at her with what she’d learned was a frown, perhaps even a grimace.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She felt like she was in danger and her instincts kicked in. He wasn’t angry, so her instincts didn’t want to try to please him. He didn’t come off as hostile, so she didn’t want to fight. Which left one option.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She jumped off her chair and ran for her room. Her instincts continued to run her, so she grabbed the comforter off the top of her bed, wrapping it around her like a cape or a cocoon, and curled up in a far corner of her closet. Since the closet door had slats in them for ventilation, she closed it behind her and made for the furthest corner away from the door, where she could also watch the door. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sephiroth was deeply troubled as he watched Ami flee from him. He’d caught her expression of sheer terror the moment the emotion came to him through the telepathic connection like a large wave. But he knew that the terror wasn’t of him. What troubled him the most was just how different the terror she was in now was from the terror from parachute training. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Her earlier terror was laced with trust and some amount of comfort. Like she truly knew that she was safe, even if she were grappling with a fear. He’d found it oddly comforting knowing that what kept her from sheer mindless terror was his very presence. He believed that it would have been utterly traumatic for her if she’d had that training with a complete stranger. It also made him feel honored that he’d already gained that much respect from his mentee, despite their short time as a team. Although, he was willing to believe that being in near constant telepathic contact had also helped.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ah, yes. The telepathic connection. The one ability he never mentioned and the one which he’d felt separated him from everyone else. An invisible barrier which further strengthened his isolation from everyone else. Just knowing another person with this ability had helped him feel not as lonely, not as isolated. He hadn’t noticed or cared to notice how utterly lonely he had felt until that day when he’d sensed Ami’s mind slowly appear within the ocean of minds he could hear and touch. And the utter shock he’d felt when he discovered that she’d somehow gained that same ability. To know that he had someone to share this experience with. It had made the prospect of taking her on as his mentee less troublesome.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It didn’t help that she was definitely sharper than she liked to appear. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And she was lost, adrift in a sea of utter terror that she clearly didn’t believe he could help her with. He’d caught the feeling of isolation on top of the terror and if the massive amount of terror didn’t bother him, that feeling of isolation did. He couldn’t ignore that. Not after he’d been pulled out of that very feeling not so long ago. He wasn’t going to let her suffer like that if he had his say.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Seph?” he heard Angeal ask as he stood up from his chair and strode over to the stairs.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“She’s upset and I want to make sure she’s okay,” he stated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Just… be careful,” Angeal counseled before he ascended the stairs.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He found himself in front of her bedroom door and knocked. <em>‘May I come in? I’m concerned about you.’</em></span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘I’ll be okay. I just don’t… feel like talking about that.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘I won’t force you to. I just feel that we need to talk and you… you don’t have to feel alone like this.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘You can enter. Just… don’t laugh.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span><em>‘Why would I laugh?’</em> he responded in confusion as he opened the door.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span><em>‘...I’m in my closet,’</em> she responded, the thought quiet and somewhat ashamed despite her state of terror and isolation.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He quietly closed the door behind him and made his way to the closet door as he sent, <em>‘is it okay if I join you?’</em></span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span><em>‘You think both of us could fit?’</em> she responded with a tiny bit of humor.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He slowly opened the closet door, carefully moving the uniforms to the side. He could make out a shadow in a far corner from which he could see the glow of two eyes staring at him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘I think so with some moving around. Do you feel comfortable temporarily moving from your corner?’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘I don’t know.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Mind if I shift you about then?’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span><em>‘Okay,’</em> she responded as he saw the eyes slightly move up and down in a nod.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He’d never done what he was about to do, but he had an idea at least. He moved in a way to avoid hitting the rod which ran the length of the closet, practically on his hands and knees. In a fluid movement, he grabbed her and moved them both so his back was resting against the wall and she was on his lap. Once there, he had no idea what to do. Especially once she settled, making herself comfortable, wrapped in a thick blanket, practically leaning against his chest.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He would never admit it to anyone, especially Ami, but it was an oddly pleasant experience. He wondered if that was why Angeal and Genesis had a tendency to hug him so much. Right. Hugging. If he remembered what his friends typically did, they would wrap their arms around him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span><em>‘I’m going to try something I’ve never done before,’</em> he sent at her, <em>‘I hope that’s okay and if I hurt you, let me know.’</em></span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘...what are you going to do?’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘I believe Angeal and Genesis called it a hug. They do it to me when they feel I need comfort. As I feel that you need comforting yourself, I figure it would be appropriate for me to do so.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span><em>‘Go for it,’</em> she responded quietly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Carefully, he wrapped his arms around her, applying roughly the same amount of pressure he did when he’d return the hugs with Angeal and Genesis. She let out a sigh and he grew concerned.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span><em>‘It’s okay. It’s nice. Thank you,’</em> she sent at him not long after he’d formed his concern.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span><em>‘You’re welcome,’</em> he responded, feeling that her earlier feelings of isolation and terror had abated some.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was a start. But how would he accomplish his goal? He knew that the center of all of it was Hojo. But he didn’t want to cause her more emotional distress by speaking directly and asking questions. He might not know how to properly interact in ways people liked, but he at least understood how people worked. He understood instincts and a few emotions. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span><em>‘This is because of Hojo, isn’t it?’</em> he sent, gently, less a question and more a statement.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span><em>‘Yes,’</em> came the quiet, measured response, <em>‘but I can’t go into specifics.’</em></span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span><em>‘Can you explain why?’</em> he carefully sent, making sure she knew that she could choose not to answer and he’d respect her decision.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span><em>‘I don’t think I can,’</em> she responded quietly, obviously having taken time to cultivate a response.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span><em>‘I see. He must have given you an ultimatum. One which demands your silence lest you face punishment.’</em> he sent, trying to restrain his anger as he felt her terror spike.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span><em>‘What? How did you come to that conclusion?’</em> she sent, her question a demand as she continually repeated an expletive. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span><em>‘A conclusion your reaction has confirmed.’</em> he responded before sending, <em>‘the fact that you didn’t immediately come to me on top of your unwillingness to speak of it as well as your terror told me that he has threatened retribution if you speak of it. The fact that you’re even more scared now, for which I’m deeply regretful over, means that he told you not to tell me. The fact that your actions which were grounds for sexual assault likely was your way to keep me from getting too close. I picked up a strand of what I think was elation when you believed that I was sending you to Hojo. All this together tells me that he likely told you that he expects you to procreate with me or else and to not tell me of his intentions.’</em></span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He fought letting out a sigh of relief as her earlier terror dissipated. He was puzzled when he noticed an… interesting swirl of emotions. She pulled back from his chest enough that he saw two glowing orbs stare at him, blinking several times.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span><em>‘Yes?’</em> he asked, almost amused by her vocal and telepathic silence.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘I don’t buy that my actions led you to think Hojo told me of his desire to have us procreate.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span><em>‘That’s because it wasn’t entirely due to your actions,’</em> he sent, looking away from the glowing orbs, <em>‘he told me to procreate with you, including insinuating that I should go so far as to rape you.’</em></span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He was puzzled that she was moving and allowed his arms to slacken to allow for her movement. He found himself surprised to find that she moved just enough to wrap her arms around him as much as she could. Once it was clear that she was done moving, he tightened his grip back to where it had been.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span><em>‘But you won’t,’</em> she sent, completely confident and utterly trusting.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Just the very fact that she wasn't afraid that he would and that she completely trusted him made him feel honored. More than that, it made him want to protect Ami. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Of course I won’t. I may sometimes question my humanity, but I’m not that monstrous.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Yeah, I get it. I question my humanity too.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘I don’t see why you would. You look completely human.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Seph, my world has monsters too, but they’re different from here. They are all biologically human. Besides, I was raised being told that I’m nothing, a mistake, a failure, abnormal, even a monster. My humanity and personhood was, is, and always will be in question. Just cause you have pretty eyes and nice hair doesn’t a monster make.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘There’s more reasons why I feel this way beyond my physical appearance.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Mind sharing?’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘I guess my main one is if I were human, I’d have thought I’d have grown up in a similar set of circumstances as everyone else, rather than in isolation and in a highly controlled environment.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘... you have seen some of my memories of my childhood, right?’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘...are we really going to do this? Compare our pasts?’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Only if you want. I think it might make you feel better, even if our pasts are different, they are kind of similar. It… doesn’t sit well with me. It feels a bit… contrived.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Some people ascribe a belief in destiny or higher powers to explain away contrivances.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘But not you.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘No. I simply believe that random things happen randomly. If one rolls a die long enough, it will eventually land on the number you wish.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Pretty much ‘shit happens’.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘...that is a very succinct way to put it, but yes. Shit happens.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He relaxed in the silence, enjoying the moment, even as he knew that he was losing feeling in his legs and feet. He was willing to suffer for this one, pleasant moment. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span><em>‘You know, we should do something,’</em> she telepathically sent at him, breaking the silence. <em>‘We should find a way to torment Hojo without breaking the rules. Make sure he’s as miserable as possible because he’s made our lives that much more difficult.’</em></span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He knew that she couldn’t see his expression in the dark but he knew he didn’t bother hiding the grin as she shared her idea. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘That idea of yours does have promise. We will have to plan it all out in advance.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘I’d be worried if we weren’t going to plan it all out. It’s a quick way to fail.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Let’s start with ideas first.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : : .</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Author’s Note: 2/3/21</p><p>I think it was obvious that Sephiroth was going to make Ami his part-time secretary for the mere fact that training her as to how he likes to organize his paperwork would take a few minutes at most. And he wanted to make sure she wasn’t let off too easily or was without supervision for too long.</p><p>I didn’t mention Ami’s late night training sessions because the idea came to me out of nowhere and mentioning them as they happened wasn’t part of the plot. However, the reason why she has trouble sleeping will be coming up later. </p><p>Also I had some idea as to the fluffy scene but I had no idea it was going to turn out the way it did. I’m happy with it (especially since I think it’s adorable reading his stream of consciousness). I never would have thought he could be so adorable but it makes sense from his perspective because his CC self definitely did exhibit compassion. </p><p>And I’m going to enjoy the next chapter.</p><p>And I have no idea how those two are going to torture Hojo.</p><p>Random BtV Trivia Time: Sephiroth’s telepathy is based on how in FF7/FF7R, he was able to mess with Cloud along with Jenova clearly also having telepathy. Ami has that ability for the same reasons she suspects, just that it works two-way because Sephiroth is allowing it to do so and/or wants it to work like that. This Sephiroth also does not want to even try testing the potential of being able to override Ami’s free will or control her body simply because he understands what it’s like to not be allowed to have agency. </p><p>Later!<br/>~Gregora</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0018"><h2>18. Retribution</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Sephiroth and Ami enact their plans with help from Genesis, Angeal, and Zack.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Disclaimer: I don’t own squat except for Ami. I’m just playing in Square-Enix’s sandbox, yo. Also, I need feedback and lots of since I know I’m not perfect and if things don’t mesh or match up, I’d like to know how to fix it. Anyways, on with the story!</p><p>Trigger Warning: does Hojo count?</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Chapter Eighteen</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hojo never left Shinra Headquarters. He barely even left the labs, but whenever he did, he’d set it up that his PHS would be alerted if anything was amiss, and retired to his quarters within the headquarters itself. He was truly astounded by how much had happened within the eight hours he’d been away from his precious lab. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He walked into his precious lab promptly at eight that morning, as he always did. As always, he strode through his lab, which he’d memorized the layout of. What was definitely different was when he found himself walking into one of the examination tables. This had never happened before - he memorized the layout of his lab. He expected the floor, seeing that there were lighter areas of the floor which appeared to match the shape of the table. He came to the conclusion that someone had moved the examination table. That discovery had invited anger, which he contained and controlled.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He’d decided to delay checking in on with his experiments, subjects, and specimens in favor of investigating what had caused the examination table to have shifted. This idea was quickly swept away when he opened the door to his office to find brightly colored spherical objects in front of his face.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Balloons. Someone had filled his entire office with balloons. His tightly controlled ire was rising in severity as he spun around to get a scalpel to deal with the offensive pockets of air, heading to his personal supply cupboard where he kept his equipment. He had everything stored in labeled containers, perfectly organized. He looked to where the container for the surgical equipment should be, finding the container for dressings instead. His ire only increased at the very thought that someone would move the containers, his containers around. He fought to keep himself from nervous twitching as he finally found the container he was after. However, he found a new level of anger when he discovered that someone had also swapped out the contents of one container for another’s. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sephiroth expected the phone call on the very basis that he knew that Hojo would either see him as the prime suspect or the culprit. He knew full well that he <em>was</em> one of the culprits, but that was not important. He also knew that his friends were also involved, something that he and Ami had agreed on once they had a concrete plan. The five of them had piled into Sephiroth’s car and had spent the whole round trip and most of the night giggling, snickering, or otherwise utterly amused. They were all unable to keep a straight face - even himself. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What do you want, Hojo? You are aware that this is Sunday so I’m not even at the building, correct?” he said, keeping all amusement out of his voice even despite his wide grin, putting Hojo on speakerphone while keeping the phone positioned so that it wouldn’t be obvious.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Is this your doing, <em>boy</em>?” the mad scientist asked, practically hissing in apoplectic, seething rage.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Oh, he was enjoying this so much. He almost wondered why he hadn’t thought of this himself and sooner. This was a moment to savor, indeed. It wasn’t every day he was treated to just hearing his tormentor in such a state. <em>‘I must once again thank you for your wonderful idea, Ami. Hearing his despair is simply… delectable.’</em> For some reason, he could sense Ami’s mood change, becoming mildly uncomfortable, something that definitely made him curious.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span><em>‘Just don’t get carried away, okay?’</em> she responded, more guarded with her thoughts and emotions than he’d ever sensed her. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Is what my doing, Hojo?” Sephiroth asked, “I am unable to confirm nor deny anything that I lack the details of.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“My lab and my office is in absolute shambles!” Hojo practically screamed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“...That sounds like a personal failing on your part,” Sephiroth said neutrally even if he knew his expression was anything but.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He saw that his friends were just barely holding it together. The friends who assisted him once he informed them of the plans he and Ami had worked up. The friends who, once they heard the plans, started adding in more ideas that he nor Ami had thought up. Zack practically was chewing on his own hand to keep himself from falling into gales of laughter. Ami was on the couch, her face practically buried in a pillow, her movements telling him that she was having issues keeping her laughter quiet. Even Angeal’s face was turning a variety of colors he’d never seen with the effort he put forth to keep from laughing. Genesis had retreated to his bedroom and had opted to leave his bedroom door open to allow him to hear and deal with his own mirth. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Someone came in while I was out and… ruined everything! Do you know how long it will take to clean everything up?” the scientist screamed in fury.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That does sound unfortunate,” he said in his usual calm and neutral tone, “however, I assure you that I was not involved seeing as how I tend to stay away from the building during my days off and I do enjoy my peaceful slumber.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I know it was you!” the scientist screamed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What evidence do you have to support your accusation? Was it not you who taught me to disregard everything I do not have supporting evidence for? Or are you saying that not even you follow the same lessons you taught me yourself?” he asked, allowing some amusement to shine through, just his usual amount - not enough to raise the scientist’s suspicion. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He wasn’t aware he could grin more when he heard his tormentor let out a wordless scream of rage and anger. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Was that all you wished to know? I do have a day off to enjoy with my friends, after all,” he said once the scream died off.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I will obtain the evidence that you did this and I will ensure that you will pay for your transgressions!” Hojo screamed, “I expect you and Ami in the lab tomorrow morning at eight.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I do apologize but our schedule is rather busy seeing that this coming week is the SOLDIER exam week. As the highest ranking SOLDIER, I am required to oversee the entire event, start to finish, on each day of the coming week. As Ami would be taking these exams herself, she will be similarly indisposed. I would suggest looking into the next week, but I will be occupied with all the paperwork which would have accrued during the exam week and Ami will be similarly occupied with her class’s Orientation week. The proceeding weeks, you will likely be terribly busy with all the other cadets who have passed the exams. I fear that by the time your schedule clears, we may already be in Wutai and no one knows how long that tour will last.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There was silence for a moment before Hojo ended the call. The moment the call ended, all the pent up laughter came from everywhere in the apartment, knowing that their little mission they’d gone on during the early morning hours had been a complete success.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As second in command of the Turks, Tseng understood and accepted that he was the one to decide which matters were deserving of being pushed up to Veld and which were best ignored or immediately dealt with. It didn’t surprise him to find Reno and Rude walk in his office that Monday with two disc cases in hand. What did was the fact that Reno had a huge grin and had looked like he’d been crying. Rude merely smiled.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sir, we have some… video feeds that you may wish to observe,” Rude said, amusement clear in his voice. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Whatever it was, it had amused the duo. The moment was broken by Veld who poked his head into the doorway.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Tseng, mind taking all calls from Professor Hojo today? He’s being a nuisance,” Veld said, sounding and looking tired.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What does Science want with the Turks?” Tseng asked, slightly tilting his head in curiosity.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He’s trying to force me to open an investigation,” Veld said with a heavy sigh, “he said that nothing escaped, nothing was stolen, and nothing was destroyed.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So why waste our time?” Tseng asked, “there does not appear to be anything worth investigating.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, about that,” Reno drawled.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He saw Veld staring at Reno in the way he always did when he expected that Reno had done something. He, on the other hand, merely let out a small sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Before you two jump to conclusions, it was nothing I did this time, I swear!” Reno exclaimed defensively as Rude nodded in agreement.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“But we know who the culprits are. And what they’ve done,” Rude said as Reno held out the cases.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You may want some popcorn while you’re at it,” Reno said with a grin.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tseng watched the video, which showed two feeds at the same time. One part of the screen detailed the part of the labs which Hojo had claimed as his, and the other was a view of Hojo’s office, from right outside the door. For a few minutes, nothing changed. And then five figures strode into view. He recognized them instantly. Sephiroth, Genesis, Angeal, Zack, and Ami. Three SOLDIERs First Class and their proteges. This was definitely interesting. They likely had access to the Science floor due to Hojo granting the permissions to Sephiroth and Ami’s ID badges. He wanted to know exactly what they had done. And each of them were carrying plastic bags, like the ones from a grocery store.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He watched as Sephiroth, grinning more than he’d expected to see on the stoic man’s face, strode into Hojo’s office with purpose with his mentee dogging his heels. The mentor and mentee stood in front of different bookshelves and clearly started to move books around and exchanged a few books between them. He had trouble keeping a straight face as he thought, <em>‘juvenile but amusing.’ </em></span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>While this was going on, Angeal had managed to start moving equipment an inch to the right. Genesis and Zack had started to go through cupboards, emptying containers and exchanging their contents, leaving them in differing shelves within those cupboards. His attention went back to Sephiroth and Ami, who nodded to each other before the two of them produced stacks of sticky notes and started to cover everything in said slips of very colorful paper. <em>‘No wonder Reno recommended popcorn. This is proving to be quite entertaining.’</em></span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Once the other three were done with their parts, they reconvened with Sephiroth and Ami. Zack pulled out a long and narrow box from his bag and went elsewhere. A third feed was added, that of a camera pointed towards what was marked as Hojo’s personal bathroom. The Second walked in with the box. He paused and enhanced the image to determine what was in the box. He recognized it as being plastic wrap. <em>‘I believe that they may have temporarily regressed a few years except for Fair.’ </em></span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As that was going on, Genesis had pulled out what appeared to be an air horn and a roll of duct tape, handing his bag to Angeal before also walking to the same bathroom. <em>‘I certainly hope Reno did not watch all of it,’</em> he thought before realizing in an amused sort of horror, <em>‘of course he did.’</em> While his partners in crime were busy with their tasks, Angeal pulled out a small package and opened it. Tseng realized that the package contained very brightly colored balloons, which he tied off and handed off to Sephiroth and Ami and placed the balloons in areas which had been fully covered in the sticky notes. He saw Sephiroth pause for a moment, put away his stack of sticky notes and pulled out a screwdriver and disappeared for a moment behind Hojo’s desk. <em>‘Technically not destruction of property if all pieces are still there and it can be put back together.’ </em></span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Still, he had to admire the five SOLDIERs’ efficient teamwork and creativity as they seamlessly worked together. He was almost terrified at the prospect of what could be accomplished if their tasks weren’t so harmless and juvenile. They’d tackled their mission as if it were an actual operation, their focus entirely on their task and goal. The very embodiment of what SOLDIER was. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Before he knew it, Genesis had rejoined Angeal as did Zack, returning their equipment back into their bags and pulling out their own packages of balloons. At that point, the office was covered in sticky notes and Ami left the office to join the others in blowing balloons, leaving Sephiroth to position the balloons exactly so as to actually fill the office as much as possible. He was impressed that the five SOLDIERs had accomplished so much in as little time as possible as they left the lab, leaving no obvious trace of having stepped foot in said lab.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He figured a call was in order.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sephiroth,” the familiar sound of the SOLDIER said over the phone.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“This is Tseng of the Turks. I’m calling in reference to the event which transpired this last Sunday morning,” he said calmly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I see,” the SOLDIER stated calmly, clearly prompting him to continue.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“There is no basis for an official or unofficial investigation by my department. I do have a request and a question. My request is that the next time you and your compatriots go on a similar… operation, that you inform me first. A… coworker of mine was… viewed the evidence before I could and it may pose… a slight nuisance.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And your question?” Sephiroth asked with a trace of amusement. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Would you like to have a copy for your amusement?” Tseng asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“If you deem it allowable.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Very well. I wish your mentee luck in her exams,” Tseng said before hanging up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Before he could start up the second disc, his phone rang. He gave a cursory glance at the caller id and sighed. He needed to have a discussion with Hojo and make it clear what the official and unofficial Turk position was. He reminded himself that his irritation with the scientist will be short considering he was certain that the second disc would reveal him encountering all that the five SOLDIERs had left behind.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : : .</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Author’s Note: 2/4/21</p><p>This only took me hours to write because I had to stop several times for several minutes’ worth of insane laughter. This was practically crack but this was just so hilarious to write. This is likely going to be the last outright funny/silly chapter for a while, but I just had so much fun writing Hojo’s POV for this and just him encountering all of the antics the five had done.</p><p>And yes, Zack did just plastic wrapped the toilet. I think that was his contribution to the operation.</p><p>And I think Ami’s reaction to that particular statement makes complete sense. She just saw a glimpse of something that really scared the crap out of her. She did not expect to see that.</p><p>Laters!<br/>~Gregora</p><p>Next time on BtV: Exam week for Ami! An accidental discovery leads to some specialized training.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0019"><h2>19. Exams, Interesting Powers, and Overload</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Ami has her exams, she and Sephiroth discover an interesting part of an ability they share, and Ami has what she calls "an episode".</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Disclaimer: I don’t own squat except for Ami. I’m just playing in Square-Enix’s sandbox, yo. Also, I need feedback and lots of since I know I’m not perfect and if things don’t mesh or match up, I’d like to know how to fix it. Anyways, on with the story!</p><p>Trigger Warning:</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Chapter Nineteen</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ami stared at her breakfast, wishing she could actually eat, but her stomach already felt full. Full of  butterflies. Instead, she poked  at  it while carefully sipping at her coffee.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Test anxiety, huh?” Angeal asked, his voice  gentle and comforting, if  not a  bit amused. She nodded quietly before  he continued, saying, “I had test anxiety too, back then. I was nervous the whole week and I probably would have done better if I weren’t so nervous.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I think you were more nervous about my passing than about yourself,” Genesis remarked with a smirk, “I knew that both of us would pass.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I guess it’s just because I don’t know the process. I don’t know what to expect,” she said quietly, “I’ve  never  had  test  anxiety before  because I knew  what  to expect, I knew  what  to do, I knew the process. All I know is that there’s a written portion and a physical portion, but that’s literally all I know. It’s the uncertainty that’s driving me to be nervous.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You will be assigned a group,” Sephiroth stated, “that group will have a specific location and assessment times. One for the written exam and one for the physical exam. The written exam has a two hour window for completion while the physical exam will take the full testing day.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So I’m tested only over two days roughly?” Ami asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Roughly, yes,” Sephiroth said with a nod before meticulously eating his own food.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And how does the physical exam work?” Ami asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“One half of the day is set aside for swordsmanship,” Sephiroth explained, “which is done in the style of a tournament. Everyone in the group gets a turn to fight the others and scores are tallied. The second half of the day is devoted to knife skills, unarmed combat, and marksmanship. Based on my assessment, I had no need to extensively train you in any of those three.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re sounding quite confident in my abilities there, sir,” Ami stated with a frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s because I am. I’ve yet to see a more trained cadet in my career, nor one with as much promise,” Sephiroth stated, completely seriously, “which is something I am grateful for. If you were less skilled or capable, I would be filing official letters of complaint, not that I expect them to be recognized or accepted.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She stared back down at the plate of food, still picking at it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re not used to praise, are you?” Angeal asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Not really, no. Outside of teachers, all I ever heard was the complete truth. That my best is never good enough. That something is wrong with me. That I’m broken and needed to be somehow fixed. Too quiet, too loud, too much of one thing while simultaneously too much of its polar opposite. So I strove to be better than my best, to overcome my own limits. I’ve always known I was different, but I wanted to not be. And then I learned that I could never be. And since I’ve arrived here, everyone’s been doing nothing but showering me with praise and… it all feels… wrong. That everyone’s just saying it to make me feel better.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m not one to give out unwarranted praise,” she heard Sephiroth state firmly, “I tend towards constructive criticism. If I give you praise, it means you’ve earned it. Just accept it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I would if I knew how.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ami smiled to herself as she sat in the passenger’s seat. It had been a few days since Sephiroth had decided that they should travel together in his car again and it felt familiar and comforting. She understood why that routine had changed and why it had returned. Before she could say anything, her PHS buzzed, informing her that she had a new email. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I just got my testing group assignment. 33-B,” she said with a frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That means that you will have marksmanship, unarmed, and knife evaluations tomorrow morning and swordsmanship evaluation that afternoon and your written examination during the third block on Wednesday,” Sephiroth explained, “which means that you’re welcome to accompany me as I observe. It would give you an opportunity to understand the format.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That would probably help with my anxiety, sir,” she said with a smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And when you feel like you understand the format, perhaps we can do some additional training. Up until now, I’ve been focused on training you solo in preparation for this week. It’s time that I train you in preparation for the foreseeable future,” he said, sounding vaguely uncertain.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And what kind of training is this?” she asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s common that until the mentee themself becomes a mentor, the mentor and mentee typically work as a unit. We have yet to do any training to work as a team.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And you were saying that we’re likely to be sent to Wutai soon after the exams.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I suspect within eight weeks at most,” he stated, “which is generally the length of time Hojo usually spends working on the new batch of SOLDIERs.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She blinked before saying, “I get the feeling that you’re going to be focusing a lot on training me up in order to get us sent to Wutai before Hojo gets done.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hojo will find himself arguing at length with a lot of people to get us reassigned away from the front lines,” he said with some amusement, “the company gets a lot out of my being on the front lines, after all.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It really says a lot when facing war is preferred over Hojo’s presence.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We will be going against a program that Angeal, Genesis, and I set up for training,” Sephiroth explained, “I’ve set it to be a slight exercise for myself but I hope it won’t be too challenging for you. The object is to not rush through but to focus on our teamwork.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She nodded, adjusting her grip on her dual blades. <em>‘I intend to provide guidance like this as it takes less time than speaking,’</em> he sent her, <em>‘is that amenable to you?’</em></span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span><em>‘As long as it’s guidance,’</em> she responded.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Do you honestly think I could take you over?’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘If you focused and actually tried? Yes. Do I think you would? Highly doubtful with how much you prize freedom.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span><em>‘But you’re uncertain,’</em> he sent as she could pick out some emotions through the connection.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Concern. Uncertainty. A little bit of fear. Was he… afraid he would be tempted? That did ease some of her worries. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘We’ve never done more than share thoughts.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘And my guidance would be no different. I know we have only known each other a short time, but I ask for you to give me some modicum of trust.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Right. I think I’m ready.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sephiroth initially only gave her vague guidance, just enough that she knew where he was going to strike so she wouldn’t catch herself getting injured by him. He’d done so to see how her tactics had evolved from their fight, which understandably wasn’t much. He’d noticed in their fight that she preferred sneak attacks and withdrawing before her opponent could counter. However, she had adjusted to try to do a more protracted fight when she realized that her preferred style wouldn’t work. He started to send her more detailed guidance, offering her potential routes of attack which would fit within his plans. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He noticed that he was slightly adjusting his normal style to accommodate her own style which he could tell she was adjusting to fit him. This little fact told him that there was little doubt that they would eventually make a good team once they fully got comfortable fighting alongside each other. What surprised him was when she offered her own ideas when it came to tactics and he found that they were just as valid options as his own. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They’d gotten into a pattern that was getting comfortable when something unexpected happened. His perception changed. It was like he was receiving additional sensory information over their connection and it was completely alien to him. Everything seemed brighter and more vibrant as he was suddenly aware of every sound within quite a large radius and unable to focus that large range of hearing. <em>‘Why are you trying to mess with my hearing?’</em></span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He stopped, pulling away from the holographic enemy just long enough to pause the simulation. ‘...I appear to have access to your sensory information. Is this how you perceive everything?’</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span><em>‘My whole life,’</em> she responded, <em>‘I have no idea how I sent my sensory information to you.’</em></span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Does it trouble you?’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span><em>‘It’s a passive ability and can be used to our advantage if it doesn’t overwhelm either of us. Considering that I’m easily overwhelmed by my own senses, I wouldn’t recommend sharing yours with me,’</em> she sent after a moment.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He took in how her senses worked. It was like her mind was unable to focus outside of sight and even then, she saw everything in greater detail. Her senses were incredibly broad and wide ranging while his was completely focused.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Do you know what spotters are in context of military terms?’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Aren’t they the ones who spot targets for snipers?’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Your senses could easily be used in the same way. If you don’t mind, I’d like to continue our teamwork training while you share your sensory information with me.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span><em>‘...why do I get the feeling that in a lot of ways, we balance each other out? I mean, my fighting style is amazing with someone to pull aggro and my crazy sensory processing seems to compliment yours,’</em> she sent, including definitions to what she meant by ‘pull aggro’.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He was amused by the term, if only because that does fit his usual stance. He was usually not one to fight subtly. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘I share those same observations. It is these qualities which gives me confidence that with some further training together, we could make a rather skilled team. Shall I continue the simulation?’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Please.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>For the duration of the simulation, he found that they started to work more cohesively and saw her show more confidence in their teamwork. He’d noticed that when fighting, she became confident and sure of herself. The moment there wasn’t a fight to focus on, she became awkward, completely lacking in confidence, and yet more relaxed. He noticed that she had exerted herself more than he had, which is understandable considering that she likely hadn’t built up an endurance for longer fights. Something else for him to work on.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The next day, she found herself bored and wondered why she’d been so anxious the previous day as she went through the physical portion of her SOLDIER exams. The knife skills portion was a joke with the training she had from her world, as was the firearms and unarmed combat. The unarmed combat examiner actually surrendered after the second round. She’d apparently gone through the three sections first before the rest of her group and had been allowed in a resting and waiting area. Where she proceeded to pace out of boredom.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span><em>‘Careful or they may see you as smug and arrogant,’</em> warned a familiar voice in her head.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Like they do you?’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Yes.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Let them. I’m bored. I trained my bahookie off thinking it would be a royal pain and instead, it’s boring.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘There is an option if you wish to finish up the physical portion of your exam more quickly. For forced recruits, there is an option to do an exhibition match against an opponent of the examiner’s choosing.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘So instead of fighting a pile of people with less training, I can have what amounts to a spar with someone far more exciting?’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘From your eagerness, it appears that you are interested.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I will admit that I was surprised that the examiners would tap Zack for this,” Angeal said from his position to Sephiroth’s right, “I don’t think they’re aware that they’ve been training together.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“She was disheartened by how easy the physical examination has been for her,” he shared.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Just regarding the amount of training she had before her arrival, she got more training in a week than most start with when they take the exams. If anything, we overprepared her for them,” Angeal said with a frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>From his vantage point, Sephiroth could see the two mentees walk in, clearly sharing a laugh. They were completely relaxed as they took their positions on the grounds and both went into readied positions. They had on them swords which looked like the standard issue ones except that he knew that they had permanent effects of shield on them and were also dulled. The shield would distribute force from blows, making the swords land more like blunt force weapons rather than bladed weapons. The two flourished their weapons, clearly trying to invite the other to attack.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And then Ami charged. He noticed that she’d curled into a dodging roll before Zack was halfway through a swing toward where she had been. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Tag! You’re it!” he heard her exclaim as she clearly hit him with just enough force for the teenager to feel before leaping out of range.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He had to raise his eyebrow at that, knowing that she was clearly playing a game rather than taking it seriously. He glanced over at Angeal, seeing his friend clearly amused. He looked back down at the fight seeing that the two were actually exchanging blows, neither getting a hit in. She dodged a swing at her and jabbed with the point of the sword at his ribs. He hoped that it was a misjudgment on her part as to how much force she applied as the Second was forced back a few feet.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s enough, Cadet. You have shown your skill and have passed your swordsmanship exam,” the voice of one of the examiners said, coming over the PA. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I hope there’s no hard feelings,” she said, hoping that she hadn’t injured Zack with that last blow.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Not at all. I left myself open,” he said with an awkward smile, “you know how Angeal’s ragging on me about that.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“True,” she admitted with a nod, “I just hope I didn’t hurt you too much.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Not gonna lie, it smarts, but I’ve been through worse,” Zack said with a grin, “you haven’t seen the state I’m in when Angeal decides to take us on a whole day to do nothing but missions in the slums.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Outside of two hours the following day, Ami spent the rest of her week either training with Sephiroth or playing secretary, not that she had any issues with it once she verified that it was acceptable for her to busy herself while manning the desk. And she busied herself with reading the kinds of novels she enjoyed. She kept the novels hidden because of course, she would enjoy romance novels. She’d gotten into them simply because it gave her the ability to experience a type of relationship she originally yearned for and now knew better than to chase after such a thing. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She found it both highly amusing and also exceedingly annoyed when she had perused the romance novel section of the bookstore she and Sephiroth went to the other week, only to discover what the typical Gaian ideal of ‘romance novel hunk’. She had to dig really deep before she even found a cover which didn’t involve the man having long hair or white hair. If she knew he would find it amusing, she’d have brought it up but she knew that he was clearly not comfortable about being in the limelight. Besides, she did not want to imagine anyone even similar to him when reading those kinds of novels. Her mind did not need more things to make her life that much more difficult.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Her mind went back to a conversation over dinner the other night. It was one that was shared between her and the Firsts. She’d been troubled about the other uncertainty regarding her stay on Gaia, particularly how and whether it could be repeated, or worse, if it could lead to an invasion of her former home. The very idea of invasion concerned her if only because it would be an utter bloodbath and as a future SOLDIER Third Class and a former resident of Earth, she would likely be forced to participate in the attack on some level. At the very least, she’d be interrogated by the Turks and if they knew half as many methods as she did, it would be highly unpleasant for her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I have a question for you guys,” she said once the previous conversation had died and left a long silence in its wake.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What is it?” Angeal asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“How exactly did I wind up in this world?” she asked, looking between the three men, “I don’t want to assume and believe that it was that large machine in the room and turn out to be incorrect.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It was that large machine,” Genesis said almost flippantly, “once you showed up, it suffered a minor explosion. Looks like you were more than it could handle, Little Sister.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She poked at her food again before asking, “does anyone know if it’s going to be used again?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“If it does get used again, I can’t imagine it would be anytime soon,” Angeal said, getting a nod from Sephiroth.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hojo had been working to get the custom parts made for years. It’s likely it will take many months for the replacements to arrive. Then it’s a matter of whether it’s profitable for the company to do so. It’s likely that Hojo will be delayed in repairing the machine until the company sees a return on their investment.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m just concerned that the technology could potentially be used to invade the world I’m from,” Ami said with a frown, “there are some technologies back there that I feel should not find their way here. Back there… humans unlocked technologies which… if enough of those weapons are used… can make a whole planet uninhabitable. Those weapons were used only twice and… I’ve seen enough documentaries about it to know that if there’s an invasion, they will be used.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She knew that Sephiroth had seen her thoughts and memories because he telepathically recoiled from them. She could see concern and horror on Angeal’s and Genesis’ faces.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I can see why that’s a concern,” Angeal said with a frown, “but we don’t know if the company will even repair the machine, let alone use it to invade another world.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>‘<em>Follow,’</em> she heard Sephiroth say in her mind, pulling her from the memory and her contemplation.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“May I ask where we’re going, sir?” she asked as she placed the bookmark in the book and dropped it into a drawer before standing up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Director Lazard wishes to see us regarding your exam results and the next steps. I believe he wishes to formally congratulate you for making the cut,” Sephiroth stated as she caught up to him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So good news then?” she asked as they reached the elevator.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I sincerely hope you can handle being in front of cameras,” he stated as the door opened.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t like where this is going, sir,” she said as the two of them stepped into the elevator with her at his heels.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Just remember to take deep breaths and do as they tell you. The most they’ll have you do is make a short comment,” he stated as she felt a weight on her pauldron nearest him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She followed Sephiroth to a small room which looked like a waiting room. There were only two people in the room - Lazard and a man she assumed was President Shinra.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“SOLDIER Third Class Ami Anderson, it’s a pleasure to meet you,” Lazard said, offering his hand to her, which she gently took in her own, “I’m Lazard, the Director of SOLDIER.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Pleasure to meet you too, sir,” she responded, realizing that she was just called by a rank - her new rank.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The handshake was dropped after a polite moment as Lazard regarded the two of them - mentor and mentee. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And I’m President Shinra,” the other man said, scanning her head to toe, “hard to believe that you’re a woman under that uniform.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span><em>‘Focus,’</em> she heard Sephiroth say in her mind, <em>‘take deep breaths. Don't let him know that is your weakness.’</em></span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I will take it as a compliment, sir,” she merely said, trying to be as calm as she could sound.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘You don’t like being compared to men, do you?’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘In my experience, such a comparison isn’t favorable to me, sir. It has been a source of discrimination towards me.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>President Shinra merely nodded before turning to Sephiroth. “Just keep her in line. You will know when it is your turn to speak.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘I don’t suppose it’s a good time to say that I utterly loathe public speaking, sir. I think I might rather go through getting my wisdom teeth pulled again than do any form of public speaking.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘I don’t enjoy it either, but at least this time, I don’t have to suffer alone.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘As they say, misery loves company.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sephiroth wondered when he’d managed to swap mentees with Angeal. She could not. Stand. Still. She kept shifting her weight between her feet, popped her shoulders, popped her knuckles, started to fidget with absolutely nothing in her hand. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Knock it off.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Hm?’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘You’re moving too much.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Oh. Sorry.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That seemed to do the trick until she started to fidget again.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Ami, you’re fidgeting.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘I literally can’t help it sir. I need to be doing something with my hands. It’s a coping behavior.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘One that needs to be stopped.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘No.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Yes.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Let me explain.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘No. It’s highly unprofessional and is unseemly behavior for a SOLDIER, let alone my mentee.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He picked up massive amounts of pain and anger through the connection. It was proving to be a nuisance for him to deal with, so he closed the connection between them. He heard her let out a quiet sigh.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“... and now for a few words from SOLDIER First Class Sephiroth,” he heard Lazard say before leaving the podium.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He strode over, already knowing the bare minimum he was required to speak.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I have indeed taken up a mentee and I hope that you will accept her as you have accepted me. That is all,” he said before stepping away from the podium and striding back to his place, right next to Ami.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And now for a statement from SOLDIER Third Class Ami Anderson,” Lazard said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He waited for her to move before he nudged her. Once she got the cue, he watched her calmly walk to the podium and take a sharp inhale. It was clear this was not something she’d done with any sort of regularity. Something that would change the longer she was his mentee.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I am honored to have been chosen to be Sephiroth’s student and I endeavor to make him and you proud. Thank you,” she said, her voice uncertain but otherwise calm and polite before stepping away.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We’re supposed to be celebrating the fact that you not just got through the exam, but also got the highest score in your group with a perfect and you’re sitting here. Alone,” Angeal stated, having found Ami.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He’d noticed that something had been bothering her since she and Sephiroth had arrived. Especially since she was clearly ignoring her mentor’s very existence, a huge clue that he’d somehow upset her. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, well, I’m still kinda cheesed off,” she said, leaning back with her arms crossed in front of her. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“At Sephiroth,” he stated before asking, “want to talk about it?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s just that… I have issues,” she said carefully, not looking at him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I think any one of us could tell you that,” he commented lightly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Specifically that my brain’s all weird and kinda broken. It has trouble in certain situations. When in these situations, I have to find ways to release the emotional pressure before it gets overwhelming. One of those ways I only use as a last resort because it causes social issues,” she said carefully.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh?” he asked, curious.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I fidget. I move about. And that annoyed Sephiroth to the point that he told me he was going to break me of those behaviors. I know from experience that without them, I have… episodes… more often because I’m not able to try to regulate my emotions as well. He refused to let me explain and took a ‘my way or the highway’ stance.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, he can get like that sometimes. Especially if cameras are involved,” Angeal said with a frown. “So what are these episodes like?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I become a living puddle of emotions. They break free of every bit of control I have and I mostly just curl up and cry. The longest one’s about ten minutes. But afterwards, I’m just kind of… emotionally exhausted to the point that it’s like I have no emotions for a few hours. I have developed methods for preventing them and it works for the most part. I got really close to having it not work, especially once he said that,” she said quietly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“If I have him promise to let you speak your mind and send him over, will you explain things to him?” he asked. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“If he’ll actually keep the promise in addition to listening.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh he will,” Angeal said with a frown before walking away and over to Sephiroth, who was standing by himself.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’ve got something to say?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’ve seriously upset your mentee today.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“She was misbehaving.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“She was trying to keep her emotions from overwhelming her and she was trying to explain that to you but you shut her down.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“There are better ways to control one’s emotions than fidgeting and acting like your puppy.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Just because your methods work for you doesn’t mean they work for everyone, Seph. She may be similar to you in ways, but she’s not identical. She has her own problems and issues. Yes, mentees have to adapt to their mentors, but mentors also have to adapt to their mentees. This is going to have to be one of those things you have to accept that you can’t and shouldn’t change. Or at the very least explore other solutions before tearing her solutions that work from her.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Very well. I’ll go talk to her,” he said simply before walking over to where Ami had secluded herself.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She was aware of his presence, but she didn’t have any high hopes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Mind if I sit beside you?” he asked before she scootched so that there was more space between them. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He clearly understood it as an invitation and sat down next to her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Those behaviors I saw as annoying earlier… do they have something to do with what you call your ‘neurological difference’?” he asked simply.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah,” she responded quietly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span><em>‘May I ask that you share all the information you have on that topic so that I may understand?’</em> he asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span><em>‘I’ve read a lot of books and then some on the matter. It was… the closest to an owner’s manual I had for my brain… especially when I yearned for validation,’</em> she responded, <em>‘I don’t want to give you information overload.’</em></span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span><em>‘I can cope,’</em> he responded before she passed over all the information she had.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She glanced at him, seeing that he looked like he was deep in thought for a long moment.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I see that I’ve threatened great harm to you,” he said quietly, “perhaps the issue doesn’t lie with the behaviors themselves but the ones you exhibited. We can work on finding better tools and behaviors. I hope that you can forgive me.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Easily done,” she said, feeling some relief, “now that you understand, we can move forward.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They’d fallen into silence again, but unlike the silence they’d been in since the press release, it was a calm, companionable silence.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Talking about moving forward, what’s going to happen next?” she asked, feeling uncertain.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Lazard has informed me that in three weeks’ time, we will be sent to Wutai. One of the camps near the front.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Joy,” she said before letting out a sigh as she saw his glance, “I know enough about war to know that there are some hells that are more pleasant. It is the worst thing humanity can do to itself while also being a part of human nature.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’ll do fine,” he said gently, “feeling ready to partake in the festivities?”</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>. : : .</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Author’s Note: 2/6/21</p><p>This chapter was one I had to wrestle with over the last couple of days, especially yesterday. I didn’t get a lot of sleep yesterday which really made it difficult to focus and then when I thought I was done with the chapter, I didn’t like a few bits so I had to change a few scenes. Bright side, the rest of the chapters for this arc are already done. I just need to do a final editing sweep before you see them.</p><p>As you guys could tell, this arc is wrapping up - there’s only a few more chapters before the two set foot in Wutai and it’s not going to be pretty. There’s going to be a lot of things going on there. </p><p> </p><p>Also I'd like to thank Meghan888 for their comments. Thanks a ton!</p><p>Random BtV Trivia Time: I don’t know if I’ve mentioned this, but the song I listen to whenever I write Ami’s fight scenes is "really slow motion - deadwood". </p><p>Laters!<br/>~Gregora</p><p> </p><p>Next time on BtV: The guys decide to hang out in the Training Room since Ami and Sephiroth are going to be shipping out soon and it’s likely the last time they have the opportunity. Ami faces a difficult choice and the ramifications of her decision.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0020"><h2>20. To Tug at the Strands of Destiny</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The group convene in the Training Room to spar and chill before Ami and Sephiroth are sent to Wutai. Ami forces a difficult decision and has limited time to choose. Ami's choice leads to an altercation which threatens the budding friendships she realizes she cares about.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Disclaimer: I don’t own squat except for Ami. I’m just playing in Square-Enix’s sandbox, yo. Also, I need feedback and lots of since I know I’m not perfect and if things don’t mesh or match up, I’d like to know how to fix it. Anyways, on with the story!</p><p>Trigger Warning:</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Chapter Twenty</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>[13:53] Angeal: It appears that the Seconds are finishing up with the TR. Meet up?</b>
</p><p>
  <b>[13:53] Genesis: I’m available.</b>
</p><p>
  <b>[13:54] Zack: Are you saying a group meet in TR? {excited puppy gif}</b>
</p><p>
  <b>[13:54] Angeal: If everyone’s available, yes Zack.</b>
</p><p>
  <b>[13:55] Ami: I’m available if my taskmaster says I am.</b>
</p><p>
  <b>[13:55] Sephiroth: We are on our way.</b>
</p><p>
  <b>[13:56] Zack: {Happy Chocobo emoji}</b>
</p><p>
  <b>[13:56] Ami: {eyeroll emoji}</b>
</p><p>
  <b>[13:57] Zack: {puppy headtilt gif}</b>
</p><p>
  <b>[13:57] Genesis: It appears that our Little Sister speaks in Puppy.</b>
</p><p> </p><p>. : .</p><p> </p><p>Ami saw Zack’s attack coming and managed to sidestep out of the way before launching a counter attack, a simple swipe at her senior. She knew that Zack would see the attack coming and their swords clashed, both of them using standard issue swords. He pressed her and she dug in her feet and pushed back with some of her strength, just enough that neither were moving. </p><p> </p><p>“‘Infinite in mystery is the gift of the goddess,’” she heard Genesis recite from his book as Zack used more of his strength to force her back.</p><p> </p><p>She exerted more strength, just enough to keep her from being pushed back as she gave Zack a bit of a smirk before Zack broke the sword lock and rolled out of the way, clearly expecting a follow up attack. She lunged after him, not wanting to give up her advantage so readily.</p><p> </p><p>“‘We seek it thus and take to the sky,’” she heard Genesis continue to recite as she just slashed at Zack with precision, making sure she didn’t overextend her arms.</p><p> </p><p>Zack managed to parry each slash, stepping backwards to give himself some space, some distance. She refused to grant him distance, continuing to slash at him before finding herself shoved back due to an unexpected kick from the Second. </p><p> </p><p>“‘Ripples form on the water’s surface,’” Genesis continued to recite from his book as the two students worked to catch their breath.</p><p> </p><p>She tilted her head to Zack before seeing Zack put his sword up and she relaxed, knowing that they were going to take a much needed break. </p><p> </p><p>“‘The wandering soul knows no rest,” she heard Genesis finish as her eyes drift towards the end of the simulated Sister Ray, seeing Sephiroth step towards the group.</p><p> </p><p>She didn’t even need to pay attention to the connection she had to know that her mentor was practically happy and content, if a bit excited. She, however, was starting to feel dread rising up within her. She’d seen this set up. ‘There’ve been some differences. Who’s to say this would be one? Who’s to say this won’t play out as I’ve seen it play out?’ </p><p> </p><p>“Loveless, Act One,” Sephiroth stated, causing her to twitch a bit inwardly as her feeling of dread increased.</p><p> </p><p>“Hmph,” Genesis uttered, slapping shut his book, obviously pleased, “you remembered.”</p><p> </p><p>She found her heard pounding as her mind replayed what she remembered of the fight from Crisis Core as she saw Genesis leap off of his sitting spot to land on his feet.</p><p> </p><p>“How could I not when you’ve beaten it into my head?” Sephiroth said with a smile and amused tone, tapping his head with his free hand.</p><p> </p><p>She inched towards Zack, her eyes on the Firsts as they prepared for battle, each of them brandishing swords.</p><p> </p><p>“Don’t take Sephiroth lightly,” she heard Angeal warn Genesis.</p><p> </p><p>“Noted,” she heard Genesis respond, sounding self assured.</p><p> </p><p>“Are you okay, Ami? You’re turning pale like you’ve seen a ghost,” Zack said quietly, “let’s go watch Sephiroth beat Angeal and Genesis.”</p><p> </p><p>She nodded as they moved toward where Angeal and Genesis had been before they left to spar with her mentor. She followed the fight, seeing Sephiroth clearly holding himself back, utterly enjoying the moment as she heard their swords clash, definitely bringing up troubling memories.</p><p> </p><p>“By any chance, do you have a water materia on you?” Ami asked Zack, not entirely certain if she should alter events.</p><p> </p><p>‘What right do I have to alter destiny?’ she pondered, ‘this isn’t my world. I shouldn’t even know this much of this world.’ </p><p> </p><p>“Is that the best you can do?” she heard Sephiroth ask Angeal before shoving the man back.</p><p> </p><p>“All hail Sephiroth, huh?” Angeal remarked, definitely amused.</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, right here,” Zack said, pulling out a green materia.</p><p> </p><p>“Get ready to use it when I give you the signal,” she said, committing to her decision.</p><p> </p><p> She saw Genesis hold out his arm to bar Angeal saying, “Angeal, stay back. I’ll take Sephiroth alone.”</p><p> </p><p>“Use it on what? Who?” Zack asked, “what signal?”</p><p> </p><p>“Genesis!” she heard Angeal exclaim.</p><p> </p><p>“I’ll say your name,” Ami stated, “I’ll let you decide on your target. Consider it a… contingency plan. I get the feeling that things are going to get heated soon and some hotheads are going to need to get cooled down.”</p><p> </p><p>She saw Genesis activate whatever magic was stored within Rapier, saying, “The world needs a new hero.”</p><p> </p><p>“Hmph. Come and try.”</p><p> </p><p>“So smug. But for how long?”</p><p> </p><p>She watched Genesis practically push Sephiroth and she could sense something which troubled her through the connection. She could sense her mentor’s enjoyment fade, his emotions disappearing. Not even calm existed, just a black hole where there was nothing. ‘Genesis pushed him to the point where his training and instincts have taken over. Not good.’ She watched the huge fireball and saw Angeal take a Fire to the face.</p><p> </p><p>“Angeal!” Zack exclaimed.</p><p> </p><p>“He’ll be fine,” she said with a frown, “just have the water ready. By any chance do you have a Barrier or Haste I could borrow for a moment?”</p><p> </p><p>“I got a barrier,” Zack said before pulling out a yellow materia, “why?”</p><p> </p><p>“Just trust me,” Ami said, holding out her hand, “I’ll give it back.”</p><p> </p><p>She could practically hear One Winged Angel play as she saw her mentor practically carve up the simulated Sister Ray, finally pushing Genesis back. She knew what she needed to do. ‘I hope this works. For their sakes. For my friends.’</p><p> </p><p>“Enough!” she heard Angeal shout.</p><p> </p><p>“Angeal,” Sephiroth said as she felt a bit of surprise coming from him, like he’d been knocked out of his mindset.</p><p> </p><p>“Out of my way!” Genesis shouted, his free hand glowing with the light of an activating materia.</p><p> </p><p>She forgot to shout for Zack to cast water as she also forgot about the barrier materia in her hand, tackling Genesis as the standard issue sword Angeal had been using shattered. As she and Genesis landed on the ground in a tangle of limbs, she felt two things. The first was pain blossoming across her back and the second was the equivalent of standing under a waterfall for a couple of seconds.</p><p> </p><p>“Ami!” she heard the guys exclaim in different tones and at different moments.</p><p> </p><p>The only voice she didn’t hear concern from was Genesis who was struggling against her. She blinked, realizing that she had managed to lock him into a pin without even thinking about it. </p><p> </p><p>“Let go!” Genesis exclaimed defiantly, fighting her off of him.</p><p> </p><p>“Not until you tell me what you did wrong,” she chided sternly, tightening the pin just enough to give the slightly older man the impression that she could make it more painful if she so chose.</p><p> </p><p>“I did nothing wrong!” Genesis exclaimed before she heard a hiss of pain and frustration as she tightened her grip just enough, “okay, fine! I went too far and didn’t listen to Angeal’s warnings.” He paused before asking, “can you let me go now?”</p><p> </p><p>“Are you going to make amends?” she asked, loosening the pin enough that it wouldn’t be as painful for Genesis.</p><p> </p><p>“Angeal, I’m sorry,” she heard Genesis say, sounding like the apology hurt more than anything she’d done.</p><p> </p><p>With those words, she let go of Genesis, noticing that the simulation had ended and they were in the empty room. Once she did, she felt high level restoration spells hitting her and the pain in her back lessened. She stood up, remembering that she’d dropped the materia she’d borrowed and found the golden orb.</p><p> </p><p>“As promised,” she said, returning the materia to Zack, “I guess I didn’t need it anyways.”</p><p> </p><p>She looked at the Firsts, sensing their concern and confusion. </p><p> </p><p>“Thanks for the healing,” she said with a smile, “I think I should go and decompress for a bit.”</p><p> </p><p>She didn’t want to look like she was fleeing before they could interrogate her.</p><p> </p><p>. : .</p><p> </p><p>“And then she looked like she was taking the exact position she needed in order to be right there to tackle Genesis,” Zack finished, feeling and looking utterly confused and puzzled, “it didn’t look like she was acting on reflex. It looked like she was strategically acting.”</p><p> </p><p>“I saw where that sword shard was going,” Angeal said with a frown, “Genesis would have gotten injured if not for Ami.”</p><p> </p><p>“But she couldn’t have known. Not all swords have the same shatter point or shatter the same way,” Genesis said with a frown.</p><p> </p><p>“Not to mention how quickly she took command of the situation. I don’t know about you, but I’ve never seen her so confident before outside of fighting,” Zack said with a frown.</p><p> </p><p>“Hm,” Sephiroth hummed with a slight frown, looking at his friends who’d assembled in his office to discuss the situation.</p><p> </p><p>The only possibility remained in his mind was that she knew how the whole scene was going to play out and had acted. That plus the fact that she had said that she was from a world where the Lifestream didn’t exist and neither did mako energy and yet he caught her frustration when he’d explained everything he knew about materia as if she already knew. He had the urge to corner his mentee and force her to divulge her secrets. Not knowing what she kept hidden was starting to trouble him like an itch he couldn’t reach.</p><p> </p><p>“Something on your mind, Seph?” Angeal asked.</p><p> </p><p>“She doesn’t make sense,” Sephiroth stated, standing up from his desk, “and I intend to solve that issue.”</p><p> </p><p>“Seph, just remember how much power your words have on her as her mentor,” Angeal counseled.</p><p> </p><p>. : .</p><p> </p><p>Sephiroth found her in the SOLDIER break room, staring out of the window with a cup of a steaming beverage in front of her. He determined it was a type of tea due to the tag hanging out of the cup. He knew what that meant. He quietly strode over to the table she was sitting at and sat in front of her.</p><p> </p><p>“You’re distressed,” he stated.</p><p> </p><p>“Hm?” she uttered, her head tilting at him.</p><p> </p><p>“You’re drinking tea. The only times I’ve seen you drink tea like that is when you’re distressed.”</p><p> </p><p>She looked away from him, her gaze returning to the window. He tried to reach out to her telepathically, but noticed that she gave her usual indicators of not wanting him to pry while leaving the connection open. </p><p> </p><p>“Less distressed. More troubled and uncertain,” she said quietly, “I… don’t know if I did the right thing or if I overstepped any boundaries or lines.”</p><p> </p><p>“I’ve never seen anyone literally wrestle an apology out of Genesis before,” he said, remembering the sight with some amusement.</p><p> </p><p>“Hope next time, I won’t need to wrestle it out of him,” she said lightly before her expression darkened. “I somehow doubt you’re here to check on my back, but if you are, I’ll just say this right now, it doesn’t even hurt, okay?”</p><p> </p><p>“How did you know it was going to happen?” he asked without preamble.</p><p> </p><p>“Funny feeling,” she said after a minute as he could sense hesitation and a little fear from her.</p><p> </p><p>She was lying to him and he knew it. He could hear it in her tone, see it in her expression, and felt it through their open connection. And she’d never lied to him before. That alone caused his anger to flare up.</p><p> </p><p>“You’re the worst liar I’ve ever seen,” he almost growled, “try again.”</p><p> </p><p>“Deja vu,” she lied a second time and his anger blossomed.</p><p> </p><p>“You’ve never lied to me before now,” he said, nearly snapping at her, “so you better have a good excuse.”</p><p> </p><p>She didn’t respond beyond taking a sip of her tea. He could see her hand tremble. He saw her eyes close as she slowly sipped. And he could sense worry, concern, and fear from her. </p><p> </p><p>He waited until she had set her cup of tea down before asking, “how did you know?”</p><p> </p><p>“I refuse to tell you,” she said quietly but with an edge that told him that she was unlikely to budge without force.</p><p> </p><p>“And why is that?” he asked, staring her down.</p><p> </p><p>“Not ready. Don’t know how everyone would react. Besides, there’s a lot I don’t know now.”</p><p> </p><p>“That’s not good enough. You’re just stalling.”</p><p> </p><p>“I recall someone promising me that he’d respect my boundaries.”</p><p> </p><p>He grew frustrated, knowing that she was using his words to her, his promise to her, against him. And it hurt and that pain drew his anger. He slammed his fists on the table, breaking it as she leapt to her feet, instantly going into a defensive stance. </p><p> </p><p>“How dare you use that against me!” he growled, charging at her.</p><p> </p><p>She leaped behind him and he spun to throw a punch at her, knowing she’d be unlikely to dodge mid-air. She took the punch, which sent her against the far wall, hitting it with a groan before falling into a crouch. He saw her glance at him, not in fear but resolved to put up a fight. The same expression she’d had when they fought the first time. He charged at her, intending to grab her and pin her to the wall. His hands went to her pauldrons as he forced her against the wall. </p><p> </p><p>Pain blossomed in a very unexpected place, causing him to let go of her as he doubled over. If he’d been angry earlier, he was now furious as he took a moment to deal with the pain. Next thing he knew, he found himself on the floor, pinned down in a lock that kept him from using his strength to peel her off. He struggled to fight her off of him.</p><p> </p><p>“I’m sorry I’ve upset you and hurt you, Sephiroth,” he heard her say quietly into his ear as his anger started to ebb.</p><p> </p><p>“Then tell me what you’re hiding,” he almost hissed as he continued to struggle.</p><p> </p><p>“I promise you that there will come a day when I tell you everything. It just can’t be today,” she said firmly, pausing before saying, “I’m sorry.”</p><p> </p><p>“Not good enough,” he growled, his struggling starting to abate as he tried to reach for her mind.</p><p> </p><p>If she wasn’t going to tell him, he may as well pull the information from her mind. As soon as he knew that his intentions were obvious to her, she slammed shut the connection which felt like a door had been slammed in his face. That did nothing but enraged him further.</p><p> </p><p>He heard the door open followed by Zack saying, “holy shit.” A moment later, he heard Zack shout behind him, “Angeal!”</p><p> </p><p>“Ami, let him go!” Angeal ordered.</p><p> </p><p>The moment Ami’s grip lessened, he took advantage of her proximity and placement, grabbing her and pinning her down in a similar lock.</p><p> </p><p>“Seph!” Angeal shouted, “stop this! I don’t know what’s gotten into the two of you but this isn’t how we solve issues!”</p><p> </p><p>“She won’t tell me what I need to know,” he growled as she struggled against him.</p><p> </p><p>“Because I’m not ready!” she exclaimed back.</p><p> </p><p>“Then get ready!”</p><p> </p><p>“Seph! Enough!” Angeal exclaimed as he felt a weight on top of his pauldrons, “remember what I said before you left your office?”</p><p> </p><p>He felt like Angeal had slapped him. He shook his head and let out a sigh before letting Ami go. From the floor, he could hear her footsteps receding into the background in an even pace. He looked up at Angeal, seeing nothing but concern and a little frustration as his friend offered him a hand up.</p><p> </p><p>“You can’t force people to tell you things like that. Especially not your mentee,” Angeal said with a sigh.</p><p> </p><p>“I know,” he said quietly, not making eye contact as he got to his feet, “but she was so frustrating.”</p><p> </p><p>“Sometimes mentees are,” Angeal said with some amusement, “I know mine was in the beginning. And still is at times.”</p><p> </p><p>“Hey! I’m still right here, you know!” Zack exclaimed defensively.</p><p> </p><p>“What I want to know is, how exactly did she manage to pin you?” Angeal asked lightly.</p><p> </p><p>“I tried to pin her against the wall. I apparently wasn’t paying attention to her feet,” he said quietly, still feeling an ache there as he heard Angeal hiss in imagined pain.</p><p> </p><p>“You do know that you and her are going to need to apologize to each other for this, right?” Angeal asked after a moment. </p><p> </p><p>“Perhaps once I can get my answers.”</p><p> </p><p>"Seph..." Angeal almost growled at him.</p><p> </p><p>He had the impression that Angeal wasn't yet done with him and was about to give him one of his famous lectures.</p><p> </p><p>. : : .</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Author’s Note: 2/5/21</p><p>The fight scene’s been in my mind for a while so I decided to type it up three days ago. This shows a lot of evolution in how Ami sees the guys and that she’s finally accepted them as her friends, at least before Sephiroth has a temper tantrum. The only way she managed to pin him down was because she fought dirty. All I added was the chat log because I couldn’t figure out a better way to explain how everyone met up. </p><p>Also Sephiroth would not have been as upset if Ami hadn’t lied to him twice. That plus the stress of Genesis nearly getting hurt, Ami getting hurt, and just the fact that Ami just gave away that she somehow knows things… he’s also hurt that she doesn’t feel like she trusts him to just be honest.</p><p>Random BtV Trivia Time: I actually pulled the scene up on youtube and did the play by play with the BtV alterations. This is the first event Ami purposely changes.</p><p>Laters!<br/>~Gregora</p><p>Next time on BtV: Ami goes off on a joyride to blow off steam and manage to make two friends. Will Sephiroth apologize and will Ami forgive him?</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0021"><h2>21. New Friends and Forgiveness</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Ami goes off to blow off steam and contemplate. In doing so, she meets two new friends.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Disclaimer: I don’t own squat except for Ami. I’m just playing in Square-Enix’s sandbox, yo. Also, I need feedback and lots of since I know I’m not perfect and if things don’t mesh or match up, I’d like to know how to fix it. Anyways, on with the story!</p><p>Trigger Warning:</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Chapter Twenty-One</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She roared down the corkscrew highway, not really caring where she went as long as she could blow off some steam and think without the looming threat of being cornered by her mentor again. Her mind kept replaying the scene in the break room, particularly the crazed look in his eyes and the anger that wafted off of him. He clearly expected her to obey his every command and she’d been firm on doing the opposite. It might have not been the best of ideas to remind him of the promise he’d made only a handful of weeks ago. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Just where did things go so horribly wrong?’</span>
  </em>
  <span> she thought to herself, sealing her mind from him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She didn’t want the risk of him realizing that he could indeed use her as a puppet like his video game self had done with Cloud. The very idea that Hojo had obviously shoved some Jenova and exceedingly likely Sephiroth cells in her wasn’t surprising to her, simply because she half expected the crazed scientist to do so. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘Wonder if I’ll wind up with a wing too…’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She wasn’t paying attention to whichever exit she’d taken, paying just enough attention to not crash.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Looks like I’m not the only one who lives fast and recklessly,” she heard a voice call out next to her, sounding amused.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Just having a bad day. Hoping a joyride might make me feel better, that’s all,” she responded, glancing over with her mirrors, seeing that a fellow Third was riding along next to her in what looked almost like a brick compared to her much sleeker motorcycle.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The man looked younger than she was, clearly still a teenager. <em>‘I swear I’m surrounded by children.’</em> He had a wide grin on his face which had hints of potentially looking dashing in a handful of years. His hair was cut short and she couldn’t make out his eye color other than it was a lighter color than her’s.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey, no problem. That’s what I always do,” he responded before saying, “you must be the new Third, who everyone calls Little Sister.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Of course they would, thanks to Genesis.’</span>
  </em>
  <span> She gave him a nod.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I was in the testing group before yours, so you could say that I’m your senior,” he said with a smile, “which means you’re also the General’s mentee.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sadly,” she said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You do know that a lot of people would kill to be in your position. Almost as many as the amount who don’t envy you at all. He seems like a hardass,” he said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’d think that. I just feel that he consistently treats me like he expects so little of me. I… I have trouble living with praise,” she admitted with a frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You get </span>
  <b>praise</b>
  <span> from the General? All the time?” the kid asked, sounding surprised and incredulous.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, when he’s not helping me to improve. It’s either praise or constructive criticism and… I have no idea how to deal with it. And his friends are just as bad. I… I don’t know why I’m even talking to you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Because you look like you need to talk to someone?” the kid responded, “and I am technically your senior in terms of length of time in SOLDIER.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“By how much? Some months? And you do know I’m older than you, right? In that way, I’m your senior in age. And likely maturity.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Who cares which one’s the senior? What should matter is who’s the better rider!” he exclaimed as they reached the exit before seeing that the exit more or less went to a car park. “But perhaps another time.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She was mildly amused as the kid popped a U-turn and took off while she just coasted to a parking spot and parked. The small talk with the kid did help some, but it didn’t help the weight she was feeling. She started wandering aimlessly, hoping that beating up some monsters would help.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It didn’t take her to realize that a lot of the monsters were weaker than the simulations Sephiroth had put her through to the point that most of them were easily dispatched without even forcing her to rely on her materia. She wanted more of a challenge and she wasn’t finding one. So she put more focus on just exploring and walking and probably sulking.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She knew that she could only avoid Sephiroth for so long. If she stayed gone long enough, she wouldn’t be surprised if all of SOLDIER was mobilized to find her. And then what? She almost expected a second round of questioning which might wind up ending the same way as the first. <em>‘Assuming that he doesn’t throw me in the brig for insubordination. Surprised he didn’t already, but he didn’t exactly have the opportunity.’</em> It just felt hopeless and stifling to the point that she started to wonder if she’d made the same decision.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She’d apparently been so consumed by her thoughts that she found herself in front of a church. As she took in the details, it felt as if it clicked where she was. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘Must have wound up in Sector 5’s slums… I hope Aerith isn’t here…’</span>
  </em>
  <span> She couldn’t help but to open the door, seeing that the sanctuary was empty.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You can go in if you’d like,” a gentle voice said behind her, making her jump.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She spun around to see Aerith, looking exactly as she had during Crisis Core. The teenaged girl gave her a pure and gentle smile and she was definitely feeling uneasy.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You look like you need someone to talk to,” Aerith said with a sad smile, “everyone needs someone they could trust.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah well, I’m kinda not doing all that great in the whole trust department,” she responded with a frown, “if it’s not me screwing things up with my friends, it’s me causing my friends to not trust me.” She let out a sigh, looking away, toward the sanctuary interior and garden, “I wonder… should I even call them my friends when trust has died?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, why don’t we go in and have a chat?” Aerith asked brightly. She must have sensed her hesitation because she added in a sing-song, “it’ll make you feel better.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She recognized when resistance would do nothing but draw out an argument that she’d likely lose anyways. She let out a sigh and stepped into the sanctuary, electing to sit down on a pew. Aerith, however, went to tend her garden.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You do know that the Planet likes you, right?” Aerith asked suddenly after a particularly long silence between them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Glad to know that at least </span>
  <b>a</b>
  <span> higher power does,” she responded with a sigh. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You sound like you feel like a friendship you care about is on the rocks,” Aerith stated, “why is that?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you,” Ami said, her tone skeptical and almost biting, “hell, even </span>
  <b>I</b>
  <span> find myself having trouble believing the mess my life’s become and </span>
  <b>I’m</b>
  <span> the one living it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’d be surprised what I could believe,” Aerith said with a slight chuckle, “tell me and I’ll tell you if I believe you or not.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘To be fair, she’s probably the only one who would. Who knows what she’s heard through the Lifestream,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> she thought to herself.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I was torn from another world,” she stated plainly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So I’ve heard,” Aerith said plainly, “the Planet told me.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“In my other world… there were stories. Stories of a world similar to this with similar people,” she said carefully. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What kind of stories?” Aerith asked quietly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Depends on the character. Some characters have tragic stories. Others, stories of a heroic adventure to save the world,” she said simply.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And these stories bother you,” Aerith said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, I guess. Because of my friends… they’re… similar to the ones who have the tragic stories. And… I found myself in the situation similar to an event from one of the stories… the event which started the tragedies. And I… I was only thinking of saving my friends,” she said, looking away, “I wasn’t thinking of anything else but saving them from a dark path. I didn’t consider the repercussions of doing so outside of that.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sounds like you made a decision you deemed to be in your friends’ best interests. There’s nothing wrong with that,” Aerith said gently, “it’s what’s to be expected between friends.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“But one of my friends… my mentor, roommate, and commanding officer… it was evidence that I knew things I shouldn’t. And… I’d been contemplating telling everyone… until he started to force my hand. I refused and… we’ve never had that kind of fight before. We’ve fought and sparred, but not like that. I… I wasn’t afraid since I knew he wasn’t out to kill me but… the look in his eyes scared me… like I might not be able to save him…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And you want to,” Aerith stated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He’s not a bad person. Just abused, traumatized, and forced to be the way he is because he never had any real agency over his life. He… enjoys what freedoms he can find. He… believes that he will always be chained up like he is now, because he has never experienced anything but that. Where I have. I broke free. Since my arrival, I’ve found that I’m similarly chained up too.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sounds like you care about him. As friends do. I’m sure that if he sees you as a friend, he’ll understand that his actions hurt you,” Aerith stated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, well, he’s shown that he really doesn’t trust me to ever tell him about the stories from my world,” Ami said with a sigh, “but the real reason I’m so cautious… is because of the story of what happened to a character so much like him that they could be the same person…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Why don’t you share that story with me?” Aerith asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She closed her eyes and leaned back, her mind working on finding a good starting point.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“There were three friends. One wanted to be a hero, one was considered a hero and was the strongest warrior in the world, and the other believed strongly in honor, discipline, and dreams,” Ami said, remembering the pain.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What were their names?” Aerith asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“In the story or the ones similar to them?” Ami asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Whichever set of names you want to use,” Aerith said with a smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“In the same order, they would be Genesis, Sephiroth, and Angeal,” Ami said with a frown, “and they were good friends, considering that they were Sephiroth’s first and only friends.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Why was that?” Aerith asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“In the story, Sephiroth was raised in a lab, the victim of human experimentation from birth with the intent to create a new member of a race of people believed to have gone extinct with the goal of reaching some Promised Land. The scientist hadn’t considered the possibility that the being he was harvesting genetic material from wasn’t of this race. So he never gained the abilities the scientists expected but they wound up finding a use for him anyways and crafted him into the perfect living weapon. He lived a… lonely life without affection or friendship until he met his friends.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s horribly sad,” Aerith said, looking crestfallen.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It gets worse,” Ami said with a grimace, “He and his friends had a sparring accident and one of them got injured. Genesis. The injury refused to heal and Genesis’s body started to fail. It turned out that Genesis was created in a parallel experiment to his own. Desperate to find a cure for his dying body, he ran off. He later shared his knowledge with Angeal, who also elected to run away, leaving Sephiroth behind who felt abandoned by his friends he cared so much for.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She glanced over, seeing Aerith growing more saddened by the story. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Long story short, the project that resulted in Genesis involved inserting cells from the organism into a woman and harvesting altered cells from her and inserting them into Genesis. Turns out the woman later had a son she named Angeal. Angeal felt that due to this, he was a monster and deserved to die and forced his student to kill him. Things just kept progressing to the point that Sephiroth contemplated doing one last mission before retiring, a mission to a town which turned out to have the lab he was born in and the organism from which cells were taken from and inserted into him as a fetus. He… found the research and notes the head scientist left… some say he went mad from the revelation. Others say that he was consumed by hate and despair. There’s even some who note the massive personality shift and believe that the organism took him over.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s terrible,” Aerith said quietly, clearly horribly saddened, “and these are similar to your friends.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“To the point that… the event… the one which caused my mentor to know that I have knowledge I shouldn’t… it was the sparring accident… and it was so similar that… I knew exactly where to stand to pull Genesis out of the way,” Ami said quietly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So maybe your friends are safe now. Isn’t that a good thing?” Aerith asked as Ami felt her PHS vibrate.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She glanced down seeing a text and sighed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Stop blocking me. Where are you? - S</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sorry, I need to respond right quick. It’s him,” she said with a frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>So you can pry the information from my brain? Hard pass. I’m still in Midgar. </b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Your mentor and friend?” Aerith asked. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She looked away from her PHS as she felt suddenly cold as a realization hit her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know if I can feel safe in Midgar at all,” she nearly whispered as she crossed her arms in front of her as she heard and felt her PHS buzz. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>We need to talk and words can be misunderstood. - S</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>You tried to force me to divulge something I was actually considering telling the group, even after I set down a boundary. Then you tried to enter my brain, crossing another boundary. You did more than break my trust in you, Sephiroth. You shattered my sense of safety around you. I don’t feel safe being in the same city as you.</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You still look upset,” Aerith said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He… promised me that he’d always respect my boundaries. He broke through two of them. He was that desperate for my secrets. And I… I don’t know how he’ll react. I had more faith in him before all this. But now… I’m worried that any wrong step…” Ami said, trailing off.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“But you still care. You said that he isn’t a bad person. If you think that, is it possible that he made a mistake?” Aerith asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>You’re right. I was in the wrong. What can I do to make amends? - S</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She’d realized that Aerith was over her shoulder and saw the message and beamed at her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“See? What did I tell you?” Aerith said with a smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I need a moment,” she said before taking a deep breath and closing her eyes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She slowly re-established the connection, doing the equivalent of cracking open the closed door and peeking out. In response, she picked up his emotions. Guilt. Sadness. Remorse. She understood that it was possible to lie through the connection, but they’d agreed on honesty when using it. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘I had an... extensive conversation with Angeal,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> he sent, his mental touch light and non threatening, </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘I had no right to do what I did. I… was wrong. You've never lied to me before, Ami. It greatly upset me that you did.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘He really tore into you with the whole ‘discipline and honor’ bit, didn’t he?’</span>
  </em>
  <span> she asked with some amusement.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘At great length,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> he commented a little wryly, </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘I hope I could repair the damage I’d done in anger. What can I do to do so?’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘You can trust that I will tell you everything in time. I’m still playing things close to my chest because I’m uncertain about a lot of things. Particularly you and how you’d react. Today told me that you’re clearly not truly ready to know these things. Up until today, you’ve been patient with me with the exception of when I screwed up and the episode.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘I wasn’t truly going to send you to Hojo, even if I were sorely tempted. I was intending to make you aware that I could do so if you went too far.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘In my defense, I was a mess and still kinda am. I was fighting myself and… other things. And I realized that I’m done keeping myself from seeing that I have friends now. Least until one of them snapped. But I wouldn’t be a friend to this person if I didn’t give them a second chance after he’d given </span>
  </em>
  <b>
    <em>me</em>
  </b>
  <em>
    <span> a second chance for having crossed boundaries.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She caught a mental equivalent of an amused chuckle. She responded with curiosity.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘It must be from having spent enough time with Genesis and Angeal, but I find myself actually wishing to physically touch you to reassure you again, like I did when we were in your closet. Perhaps in another location this time for a change?’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Her inner fangirl cried. She nearly did by just how adorable he sounded. She couldn’t help but to remember how nice the hugs had been. She knew that she was smiling for once since the altercation.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘That does sound nice. I’ll be on my way shortly. I’ll keep the connection open now.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She opened  her eyes and knew that  she was definitely feeling better. Aerith apparently noticed  too since she was  smiling as well. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You look like  you’re feeling better,” Aerith said cheerfully.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Definitely. I think I should forgive my mentor. I mean, he’s my friend,” she said with a  smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Before you leave,” Aerith said as Ami stood up, looking concerned  and a bit confused, “I think those stories that you know… I think they might have happened if things were different from what they are now.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You think that things have changed?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I think you should have more confidence and courage. I get the feeling you’re going to need a lot of that second one.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I admit that I’m an unconfident coward.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No. You’re still learning and growing. Confidence and courage comes with time and experience. I think. At least, I’d like to think so.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And I’d like to think that I’m a halfway decent, semi-adjusted human being.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Listen to her, Ami. Confidence and courage do in fact, come with time and experience. I would know.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘How long have you been listening?’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Just to your thoughts. It’s… troubling… how much you sell yourself short. Are you even aware of your own strengths, abilities, and positive traits?’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Like knowing how to beat someone up, toss them about, or kill them?’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘... are we really having that conversation but in reverse? Do you require me to use your own words against you? They apply just as equally to yourself as you claim they apply to me.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I think you’re more than that, but you should go and be with your mentor.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She nodded and turned to leave.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It had been late and Genesis, Angeal, and Zack had been unable to find Ami, so they decided to head back to the apartment in case she’d arrived and Seph hadn’t been able to reach them. Angeal was quite amused by the sight he saw before gesturing at his friends to be quiet. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>On the longer couch was Sephiroth sitting next to one of the arms of the couch with Ami on his lap where her back was supported by not just Sephiroth’s arm but the arm of the couch, nestled against his chest with her arms around him and his arms around her. They’d fallen asleep hugging each other.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was a sign that everything was going to be okay and he couldn’t help but to smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : : .</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Author’s Note: 2/5/21</p><p>Most of this was written over the last few days (2/3 - 2/5) and was one of the other reasons why chapter 19 was so hard to write - because I’d rather write this. I had intended only for Ami to maybe meet Aerith but the crazy guy on the motorcycle decided to show up. And yes, it’s a younger version of who you think it is.</p><p>I’ve got two random scenes/chapters to finish writing (been working on them) before the two get shipped off to Wutai. I have some fun plans for Wutai. It’s going to have some good people on both sides and some horrible people on both sides. And some fluff and some horribly traumatising things. Apart from that, I won’t divulge details.</p><p>Random BtV trivia time: The part about Sephiroth admitting to wanting to hug her was written before the first fluffy hug back in chapter 17. </p><p>Laters!<br/>~Gregora</p><p>Next time on BtV: (after two bonus chapters) Ami and Sephiroth leave for Wutai, which is the first time Ami has left Midgar. How does she fare on her trip?</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0022"><h2>22. Bonus Crack Chapter: On The Rag</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Bonus crack chapter where Ami realizes she forgot to prepare for something that happens to her once a month.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Disclaimer: I don’t own squat except for Ami. I’m just playing in Square-Enix’s sandbox, yo. Also, I need feedback and lots of since I know I’m not perfect and if things don’t mesh or match up, I welcome advice. Anyways, on with the story!</p><p>. : : .</p><p>Since this is a bonus chapter, this has no real sway on the story, it’s just a bit of a plot bunny that came to mind. There may be references to this, but that would be to establish a time for the event to have happened, if that. Enjoy!</p><p>. : : .</p><p>Trigger Warning: menstruation references</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“No Ami this morning?” Zack asked as he walked through the door and only seeing Angeal behind the counter, wearing an apron over his pajamas while working on breakfast, Genesis also in his pajamas hunched over, seemingly chugging his coffee with the air of someone regretting the night before, and Sephiroth, already changed into his usual work uniform.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“She said that she was feeling sluggish but intended to join us for breakfast,” Sephiroth stated, turning the page of the newspaper he was reading.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You okay there, Gen?” Zack asked, seeing the older man’s state.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He and Ami decided to have a drinking competition,” Angeal explained with great amusement.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I hope she’s suffering just as badly as I am,” Genesis muttered, setting down his coffee mug.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!!!” the men heard from upstairs.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I know that sound,” Zack stated with a frown moments before Sephiroth’s PHS went off.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You know you can just walk down the stairs,” Sephiroth said into the phone completely amused before frowning, “are you okay? Do I need to take you to--” he stopped suddenly as if he was interrupted before saying, “okay.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sephiroth then pressed a button and set his PHS on the counter.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Okay, I’m in huge trouble and I can’t exactly leave my bathroom until someone can get me some much needed supplies.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Mind if I take a wild stab in the dark?” Zack asked before saying, “you don’t have any feminine supplies and it’s that time. That about right?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There was a pause before Ami quietly said, “yeah. That’s the long and short of it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We’ll get you set up not a problem,” Zack said with a smile, getting looks from the guys. “What? Momma Fair was insistent that I knew things involving women beyond romance.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“If I ever meet her, I just might hug her for that,” Ami said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So just tell me what you need,” Zack stated calmly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Using terms from my world, I need panty liners for heavy flow, overnight, and with wings.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I know exactly what you’re talking about,” Zack said with a smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I also need someone to bring up a glass of milk.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Mind if I ask why?” Angeal asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“If it’s got the same PH as milk in my world, it would have the exact opposite PH as blood. Meaning, it removes blood stains,” Ami explained.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Really?” Genesis asked, “I didn’t know that.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know if it has the same effect but it’s worth a try,” Ami stated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That is useful knowledge to have if that’s the case,” Sephiroth stated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ll leave the glass of milk at your door,” Angeal offered.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thanks guys. You guys are amazing,” Ami stated before hanging up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Seph, you’re coming with me,” Zack stated, taking control of the situation.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Mind I ask why?” he asked, amused that a Second was taking command.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You live with her and you were the person she called. That means she trusts you to help her. By coming along with me, I can show you what she’s talking about in case this happens again and I’m not around to help out,” Zack explained.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He folded up the newspaper he’d been reading and stood up and gave him a nod before following the younger Second out of his apartment.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So this is what she was after?” he asked with furrowed brows, holding the package in his hands.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yep. And it’s a good idea to buy two,” Zack said, placing a second identical package in the basket he was holding, “do you know if she has a hot water bottle?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t,” he responded with a frown before setting the package he’d been inspecting in Zack’s basket with the other.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Better safe than sorry. We’ll need to get her one as well,” Zack stated, “and chocolate.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You seem to know more about this than I do,” he said with an amused smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Between Momma Fair and my sisters, I know more than most guys,” Zack responded with a smile, “also it might be a good idea to have her have today off. We might need to grab her something for the cramps too.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It hadn’t been five minutes since he’d dropped off the bags of things he and Zack had bought when Ami practically ran down the stairs and tackled Zack, giving him a tight hug.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You are seriously amazing!” Ami shouted, “I have no idea how you’re still single! Any girl would be lucky to have you around!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I take it that you’re doing better,” Angeal stated with a chuckle.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was clear that Ami had realized she’d had an audience and let go of Zack and jumped back a bit. She was dressed in her usual work uniform, although Sephiroth could tell that there was a slight lump around her belt.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I am. I don’t know if it’s the pain killers or the hot water bottle, but I’m at least mobile for the time being,” she said with a smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Are you going to need the day off?” Sephiroth asked, looking serious.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I should be fine as long as I have supplies on hand and change out the water in the hot water bottle. I managed to secure it fairly well so it shouldn’t move too much out of place,” she said with a smile, “and if it gets too bad, I can probably call it a half day, right?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sephiroth found it amusing that the day hadn’t even reached lunch and the other SOLDIERs were giving them more space than usual. He was even more amused by the fact that they were more concerned about what Ami could do than what he could do and he was the General. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span><em>‘Know what’s going on with them fearing you all of a sudden?’</em> he telepathically asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘I allowed it to slip that I’m on the rag and it appears that it’s spread real well and they’re all being very smart,’ </span>
  </em>
  <span>she responded with some amount of amusement and pride, </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘although I’m worse in the days leading up than when it starts.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span><em>‘I don’t understand. Mind explaining?’</em> he telepathically asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span><em>‘...you really don’t know much, do you?’</em> she asked in a low tone.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Outside of some field medicine, tactics, strategy, some science, and just about every way one could kill another human being, I’m just about clueless. I know more since I’ve befriended Angeal, Genesis, and Zack, but I’m aware that my knowledge base is lacking.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span><em>‘...well, they do say that students sometimes school their teachers…’</em> she sent with a mental sigh, <em>‘the guys fear me right now because my hormones are currently out of balance. The imbalance has a stated effect on mood, sometimes making the individual irritable or depressed. The balance is usually restored within a week and lasts roughly for a while until roughly a few days before my cycle starts again.’</em></span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Is that why you’ve been sneaking into the training room and have been wanting to spar? To vent your irritability?’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘...yes. I didn’t want to take it out on you or the rest of the guys.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘And that’s why everyone’s giving you a lot of space. Because they know you’re irritable and armed.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘It also doesn’t hurt that most refer to me as ‘little sister’ thanks to Genesis. Which I don’t mind. There’s worse things than that. And it lets them think I’m weak. So that they’ll be in for a surprise when they cross me.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : : .</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Author’s Note: 2/5/21</p><p>I started working on this roughly when I was working on that one chapter (forgot the number) where Ami makes a comment regarding monthly cycles to Sephiroth. I figured it would be funny to do a cracky side chapter about it.</p><p>Laters!<br/>~Gregora</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0023"><h2>23. Bonus Crack Chapter: Paintball</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Ami decides to introduce her friends to the wonderful sport called Paintball. Someone takes it far too seriously.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Disclaimer: I don’t own squat except for Ami. I’m just playing in Square-Enix’s sandbox, yo. Also, I need feedback and lots of since I know I’m not perfect and if things don’t mesh or match up, I welcome advice. Anyways, on with the story!</p><p>. : : .</p><p>Since this is a bonus chapter, this has no real sway on the story, it’s just a bit of a plot bunny that came to mind. There may be references to this, but that would be to establish a time for the event to have happened, if that. Enjoy!</p><p>. : : .</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>The five of them convened in the training room, wearing basic SOLDIER uniforms since Ami had mentioned to ‘wear something you don’t mind getting stained’. Well, almost everyone. For some reason, Sephiroth had declined to not wear his signature leather coat to Ami’s consternation.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Bare skin is usually a bad idea for things like this, ditto for leather,” Ami said as she followed a slightly annoyed Sephiroth, “are you really okay if it gets stained or ruined?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ll live,” he said simply.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And if you get hit in the chest right where you have nothing covering your skin?” she prodded.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m not worried,” he said with a scoff.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So what did you get us all in here for and with all that specialized equipment?” Zack asked, motioning towards the containers.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I learned that there’s a sport from my world that doesn’t exist here,” Ami said with a smile, “so I had the equipment custom built.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Zack looked excited at her words while Angeal seemed amused and Genesis seemed curious. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And what is this sport?” Angeal asked with an amused raise of his eyebrow.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s called paintball. It uses special weapons and ammo. Rules are simple, aim for the center of the body. Below the belt and the head are off limits,” Ami said, going over to where her gear was sitting and grabbed her custom paintball gun which had already been loaded and fired at the floor, creating a splatter of neon green paint.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s why it’s called ‘paintball’. The ammo is paint,” Zack said with a wide grin.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And the worst injury I’ve seen are welts and bruises. I’ve seen broken bones, but that was because the guy was an idiot,” Ami said with a grin, “all the guns are the same and each of us have four magazines’ worth of extra ammo. There’s a color for each of us. The winner will be the one who has the least amount of paint on them once everyone’s out or we all agree we’re done playing.” Ami turned to Sephiroth with a smirk, “still think you’re good with that nice target on your chest?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ll manage,” he said with a smirk and a scoff as he passed her to gear up as well.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Although, I think I should have had us have two colors and split us up into teams,” Ami muttered.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes, but how would you split an odd number into teams?” Zack asked, grabbing his gear.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Easy. Sephiroth on his own team,” Ami said with a grin.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I will not be everyone’s target practice,” Sephiroth grumbled.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ll get the simulation ready,” Ami said with a grin, “I’m used to playing this in a forest, so it shouldn’t be too hard to get it set up.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Within moments, Ami found herself in a quiet forest. Everything was quiet and she’d slunked behind some bushes. She had to remind herself that she wasn’t alone. She felt an impact on her back and turned, opening fire on whomever had shot at her. But instead, she wasted her ammo on nothing. She hoped that it wasn’t neon blue since that meant she’d gotten pegged by Sephiroth. She would have closed her eyes and spread her awareness out, but she and Sephiroth agreed that they’d play a fair game. Instead, she focused on her hearing. She heard the slightest creak of a branch off to her ten and fired her weapon. She heard a grunt before the sound of someone softly landing in the foliage. She’d gotten someone, at least. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She stalked quietly, hoping to spot something. She could have sworn that she’d caught the briefest blur of black before it got out of her range. She couldn’t even line up the shot. She crept forward and mentally swore when she’d snapped a twig underfoot. Which started a lot of flying paint. Apparently Zack and Angeal had stuck to the bushes as Genesis was gracefully standing on a sturdy branch. And all three pelted her before they noticed each other. She ducked away before shooting the three men a few times before she got behind cover. And gotten sprayed by a cleverly hidden Sephiroth who’d practically disappeared before she could retaliate. She could have sworn she’d heard him chuckle before he seemingly vanished.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She then heard the sounds that she took to mean that they also got a hit and run done on them by Sephiroth. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Guys, I think we should stop focusing on each other,” Zack shouted.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Did he get you too?” Ami asked, continuing to move so that Sephiroth couldn’t pelt her again. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And me,” Genesis said with clear disdain.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“How hard is it to hit a tall guy in black leather and long white hair?” she asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was that moment that she could almost hear a specific song echoing in her ears as she felt more paintballs hit her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know. How hard is it?” she heard Sephiroth ask with a scoff.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She turned just fast enough to see him leap into a tree and took a wild shot that she didn’t even take the time to line up before he disappeared. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Has anyone hit him yet?” she heard Angeal ask.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He said that he didn’t like the idea of becoming everyone’s target practice,” Zack said lightly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Are you saying that you’d pass on the opportunity to cover Sephiroth in paint?” Ami asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I never said that I’d pass on the opportunity,” Zack stated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So temporary truce until someone gets him?” Ami asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m game,” Genesis said in his usual smug tone, “he’s more of a challenge than any of you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>In any other situation, laughter accompanied by the sounds of projectiles flying through the air would have been terrifying as Genesis leaped off the tree and turned around. She could see a tight cluster of paint splatters covering the middle of the man’s back, matching Sephiroth’s paint. She noticed that both Zack and Angeal also had multiple tight clusters of Sephiroth’s paint on them as well. Everyone else had clearly just fired at each other wildly or once.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I hope that none of y’all will hold it against me, but I’m kinda low-key scared of him right now,” Ami commented, joining the guys.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You me both,” Zack commented with a nod, “if this were live rounds…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“There’s a reason why he’s one of the highest ranking SOLDIERs,” Angeal said with a small smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t need to team up with you. I’ll take him on myself,” Genesis said before jumping into a tree and disappearing.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I get the feeling that he’s going to be soaked in neon blue the next we see him,” Ami said with a smirk.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’d be surprised if he didn’t,” Angeal said with a sigh, “those two get so competitive…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So what’s the plan? Watch each other’s backs and keep our eyes peeled?” Zack asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“As good a plan as any,” Angeal said with a nod as Zack and Ami exchanged nods and took up positions with Angeal.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hair stood up on the back of her neck as she heard laughter seemingly emerge from the forest around them. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ami,” Zack said, clearly just as uncomfortable as she was feeling as she heard Angeal let out a sigh.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes, Zack?” Ami asked quietly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“As much as I love your ideas, I’m getting more than second thoughts about this one,” Zack said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She could have sworn she saw glowing green eyes in a shadow under a tree and fired without waiting or aiming. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Was it him?” Zack asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know. I could have sworn I saw glowing green eyes for a moment,” Ami said with a frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You do know he’s purposely doing this, right?” Angeal asked with humor in his voice. “He loves scaring people sometimes.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m going to get you yet!” she heard Genesis shout from somewhere among the trees. “SILVER HAIRED JERK!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ami looked over at Zack as he looked over at her for a moment before they started to snicker between them. She could just imagine that Genesis had just gotten pelted nothing but good. Movement caught her eye as she saw Genesis emerge from the brush. He had more neon blue paint on him as he all but stomped out of the foliage than he’d had on him when he’d rushed off to go Sephiroth hunting.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So I assume your Sephiroth hunting excursion didn’t pan out as well as you planned?” Ami asked with a grin.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Genesis gave her a sharp glare before glancing at the group, “I don’t think staying in one place is going to help flush him out into the open.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I can’t imagine us being able to get him out in the open unwillingly,” Ami commented.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s all a matter of knowing how he thinks, the tactics he tends to favor, and finding ways to counteract them,” Angeal said with a smile. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We could always use Genesis for bait,” Ami offered, getting a glare, “what? You clearly are his favorite target.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I think it’s more because he’s an easy target for him,” Angeal commented, “you know he likes to bait you like that. And you take his bait all the time.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ll play bait,” Zack offered with a grin.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What’s the chances that he’d notice that we’re laying a trap out for him?” Ami asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What other choice do we have other than patrol the forest?” Zack asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That might work if we work together,” Angeal said with a serious expression as another laugh erupted from around them, bouncing off the trees so to mask the origin point.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He’s really taking this far too seriously, isn’t he?” Genesis mused with amusement.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ami was vaguely aware of Angeal motioning towards her and Zack as the two of them were relatively unsettled. Genesis rolled his eyes before muttering, “of course. Everyone thinks I’m the dramatic one.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ten!” Angeal shouted as he fired a burst in that direction as everyone turned to spray the area.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Instead, she felt a small cluster of impacts between her shoulder blades. She spun around to fire and her gun clicked and she frowned.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m out,” Ami said with a frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Magazines too?” Zack asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yep,” Ami said with a frown, “I’m a sitting duck.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> “I’ve got one more magazine left,” Genesis said with a frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m still on my first,” Angeal said with a bit of a smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Why am I not surprised,” Genesis muttered.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ve got one more after this one as well,” Zack said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And we have no idea how many shots he has left. We can try and count the splatters but I think that would work on everyone but Genesis,” Ami stated with a frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I doubt he’s wasted any ammo and didn’t miss us once,” Zack said with a sigh.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I get the funny feeling the part he’s enjoying the most is trying to mess with our heads,” Ami said with a sigh.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Her suspicions were proven right with another peal of maniacal laughter which bounced off the trees in a way that it sounded like he was everywhere at once.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I assume that he always takes things like this seriously,” Ami said with a twinge of amusement.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Clearly,” Genesis said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I almost want to see how a bunch of green as hell Thirds would react…” Ami muttered.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I bet half of them will piss their pants,” Zack said, his voice wavering with the effort to not laugh.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“While calling out for their mommies,” Ami added.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We are </span>
  <b>not</b>
  <span> traumatizing Thirds for amusement,” Angeal said in his commanding tone, “besides, I doubt the company could afford all the therapy they’ll need afterwards.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“If they can’t survive the General for an hour without being traumatized, what makes anyone think they could survive a battlefield?” Ami asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“To be fair, she’s got a point,” Genesis admitted with a smile, “it’d be more pleasant than anything the Firsts did to us when we were green as hell Thirds.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Doesn’t change the fact that he’s freaking Ami and I out and she’s his mentee,” Zack said with a bit of a frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I think it’s more because he’s got that maniacal laugh,” Ami said with a frown, glancing out at the rest of the forest, “if we want this to end, I see two ways of doing it. Well, three if we just call it done. You boys can shoot each other and let Sephiroth win. Or, alternatively, we can go chase him down. I’d rather not let him win, but that’s just me.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Here,” Angeal said, turning to Ami with a full magazine, “just so you’re not a sitting duck.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thanks,” Ami said with a nod, accepting the magazine and exchanging it with the spent magazine, “I think he’d be in the trees, so we may want to be on his level. If we stay on the ground, we give him an advantage.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He’s quite definitely in the trees,” Genesis said with a bit of a frown, “and even with the advantage of height, I don’t think he’s going to be an easy target.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I bet even the Turks would be hard pressed to land even one on him,” Ami muttered as she jumped into a tree. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘At this point, I’m sorely tempted to cheat,’ </span>
  </em>
  <span>she thought with a frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Do you honestly need to use it as a crutch to do anything?’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘You better keep hiding from me,’ </span>
  </em>
  <span>she thought at him as she started to jump from tree to tree, looking out for even the smallest glimpse of silver hair or black leather.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Or what? You’ve yet to even come close to hitting me yet. If you can’t hit me even once, I might as well put you through some remedial marksmanship training. It’s almost embarrassing how much I’ve shaken you.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She caught a blur of movement on her peripheral vision and she knew that she likely had enough time to dodge but not shoot with how quickly he could move. So she jumped in time to hear paintballs impact the tree behind her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘I see you’re learning how to dodge rather than let me hit you.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Jerk.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She saw another blur nearby and just watched it move, the blur running along on the ground before leaping up into another tree. She emptied her mind and decided to find a defensible hiding spot that had all but one side protected with a good view. She found a spot and saw a shadow approach and she didn’t bother waiting or seeing who it was and opened fire. Whomever it was retaliated, trying to move out of the way. Both of them were firing blindly and when she realized that, she knew it likely wasn’t her target.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Whoever it was, oops,” Ami called out.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ditto,” Zack’s voice called back.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I saw him a couple of times, couldn’t have been more than maybe two minutes ago,” Ami said quietly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Nice hiding spot,” Zack said once he caught up with her, “think it got enough space for me too?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ami nodded and the two of them huddled together in the brush until another shadow sped through the trees and they opened fire. She had an idea of what he was going to do and spun around and started to fire, expecting him to come up behind them and fire at them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘I see you’ve noticed my strategy,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> he’d sent her before she got pelted in the shoulder.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>‘This was supposed to be fun.’</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘And I’m enjoying myself. I appreciate you setting up this experience. However, you seem to not be enjoying this as much as I am.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘No kidding.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I think he’s gone,” Zack stated with a sigh, “he’s just so hard to pin down.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘How could I make this more enjoyable for you?’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Lay off the creepy a bit?’</span>
  </em>
  <span> she sent, along with moments that made her a bit scared.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Why did those things scare you?’ </span>
  </em>
  <span>he asked telepathically, revealing to her that he was troubled by what she’d shared with him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Probably too many horror flicks.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Hm. Perhaps we should agree to a truce.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Or an alliance?’</span>
  </em>
  <span> she offered, </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘the game’s about to end soon anyways. Maybe use the last bit as an excuse to further work on our teamwork before we leave for the front?’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘I accept.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I suggest you find another spot soon. It’s been compromised,” Ami said with a smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What about you?” Zack asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ll be fine,” Ami said before leaping into a tree and then from tree to tree, away from Zack.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He guided her into position with images of where he wanted her to go and she moved into position, seeing that the others were grouping together. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Guys, I think Ami’s joined him,” Zack stated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Not surprised. They probably wanted to work on their teamwork some,” Angeal said with a nod.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He gave her the signal and she followed his suggestions. She considered them suggestions as she still had willpower to defy him, if she so chose. Though, even that had an unsettling implication as well. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘I am finding it as… unsettling as you do,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> he sent, </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘but it’s still a useful advantage to have.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘This wouldn’t be possible without some level of trust. On both of our parts.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘I’m honored that I’ve earned back some of your trust.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Keep it up and I </span>
  </em>
  <b>
    <em>will</em>
  </b>
  <em>
    <span> hug you.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘It’s hard to see it as a threat.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘And that urge to hug you has just as quickly disappeared.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She waited for his second signal and she worked in tandem with her mentor as they started to pelt the others while using hit and run tactics. She was certain to not hit Angeal since he’d given her one of his magazines so she could continue to participate. Zack, however, was open season.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘You need to work on moving faster.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘I’m still not liking the heights in these trees, sir.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Get used to it.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The five of them regrouped before ending the simulation and glanced at each other. Genesis and Zack were the hardest hit where she and Angeal were close to tied. Sephiroth, however, looked untouched.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I believe I won that game with a flawless victory,” Sephiroth said with a smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hold on a second, Seph,” Angeal said, “don’t move a sec.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She saw that something caught Angeal’s eye. On one of the front corners of Sephiroth’s leather duster, there was a bit of paint.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Is that what I think it is, Angeal?” Ami asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I believe that’s your color too, Ami.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m gonna say that counts,” Ami said with a smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“‘Even if the morrow is barren of promises,’” Genesis said with a smirk.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Just remember whose color paint you’re practically soaked in, Genesis.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Only because you didn’t give me a fair fight!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : : .</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Author’s Note: 2/5/21</p><p>Out of all the random bonus chapters, this was the first one written and last one finished. It was definitely crack as I couldn’t help but to think that Ami introducing Sephiroth to paintball would be a Bad Idea if you’re doing anything but watching. Also Paintball + Sephiroth + Newly Minted Thirds would play out just like a horror flick. </p><p>Worse is if they all have the same color and aren’t told who else is in the forest with them.</p><p>...They all would wind up with nightmares of Sephiroth’s laughter and green glowing cat eyes in the darkness.</p><p>And would need A LOT of therapy afterwards.</p><p>Laters!<br/>~Gregora</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0024"><h2>24. Road Trip</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Ami and Sephiroth go on a road trip from Midgar and Junon.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Disclaimer: I don’t own squat except for Ami. I’m just playing in Square-Enix’s sandbox, yo. Also, I need feedback and lots of since I know I’m not perfect and if things don’t mesh or match up, I’d like to know how to fix it. Anyways, on with the story!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Chapter Twenty-Two</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Things had settled back down into normalcy once the issue had been resolved and she started to feel comfortable with things, although it took most of the time they had remaining before leaving for Wutai. She’d started doing drills and things with the other Thirds whenever Sephiroth didn’t monopolize her time, which she started to wish he did. The drills were annoying and tedious. She was out doing drills when she felt his mind reach out for her’s.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Where are you?’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Doing drills with the other Thirds. So annoying.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There was a mental equivalent of a scoff before he sent, <em>‘I will be collecting you. You need to finish preparing since we’re leaving for Junon in the morning.’</em></span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Sir, does it really take that long to reach Junon?’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Our choices are to travel on our own, which will be slower, yes, but will avoid drawing the usual noise which seems to accompany me wherever I go. Or we can take official Company transport, get there sooner and deal with the noise.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘I think I like that first option, sir.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Which is why we need to finish our preparations for tomorrow.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ami frowned as Sephiroth’s driving took them somewhere else, going in a different direction than back to … the apartment. She had to force herself to think of those words. She’d nearly caught herself thinking of it as home. And that was dangerous, too dangerous. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So we’re not heading back to the apartment,” she stated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No. We’re going to pick up supplies and equipment for our trip,” he responded.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What little I know of the military where I come from, usually supplies and equipment are things that are provided to troops.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“The Company is many things. Thrifty is one of them. If we rely on Company issued equipment, it is more likely to be lower quality than is commercially available. They like to have happier customers than they do troops,” he stated calmly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So we’re going to be getting gear for myself and supplies for both of us,” she stated, getting a nod from her mentor.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ami had never been to a specialty store like this. It had a large open floor plan and she could see that it was full of nothing but camping gear and supplies. She felt like her head was on a swivel as Sephiroth led her through the aisles with a cart. Just the sight of Sephiroth walking through a store, all black leather and silver hair, was a sight she could never have imagined. It just seemed so… mundane. And it was so surreal that she caught herself pinching her arm and blinked. The scene never changed apart from her mentor looking amused.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He perused some packages of food with a clinical eye, clearly looking for specific information. She definitely had the impression that Sephiroth knew exactly what he was looking for. Ami couldn’t say the same about herself. She’d never had the money to go camping so she never considered the possibility. Now that it was certain that camping was in her immediate future, she admitted that she was curious.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Whatcha looking at?” she asked, approaching to take a look at the display of foil pouches with labels.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Trail rations,” he said with some amusement, “I can’t fit more than a few days’ worth of pre-cooked meals in our supplies, so we’re going to need to have some additional food.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Makes sense,” she agreed, “so outside of trail rations, what all do we need?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’ll need a full kit of gear, which will be useful not just while we’re enroute but when we reach our intended destination. That will mean a sleeping bag, a sleeping pad, a backpack, headlamp, mess kit, camp chair, multitool, and a few odds and ends we can pick up elsewhere. We’ll need a bigger tent since we’ll be expected to share a tent.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She stared at him at the very mention of having to share a tent. That sounded… problematic at best to her. Sure, the guy wasn’t a complete stranger and was actually turning out to be a decent guy, but she was aware of potential issues. She was willing to assume that men of this world had the same morning issue as the ones of her original world did. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span><em>‘Umm...we do…’</em> a familiar voice echoed in her head, very, very uncomfortably as she could tell that he was obviously trying not to look uncomfortable as well.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span><em>‘...I both did and did not need to know that…’</em> she responded, forcing completely and totally unwanted mental images to the very back of her mind.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Her inner fangirl was completely transfixed by those images. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hopefully, the tent will be big enough that we could rig up a curtain or partition in case one of us needs some personal time,” she stated with a frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes. I was considering the same,” he agreed with an incline of his head.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Though bathing for me could be an issue,” she said with a frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And I thought you had no modesty,” he said, completely amused as he raised an eyebrow at her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“There’s a difference between a guy or two at a time and a whole gaggle of them.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Then I should consider myself fortunate. Or unfortunate, whichever one you feel is more appropriate.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She was really feeling as though he was having a joke at her expense as he chose a selection of the trail rations and placing them in the cart. She’d noticed how the corners of his mouth drifted upwards. She merely shook her head and followed him deeper into the store. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So this is the last time for a while we get to share a meal together, huh?” Ami asked with a frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m sure this is just temporary,” Angeal said with a smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I know. It doesn’t stop me from missing your cooking already,” she said with a grin before taking another bite.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ami, you and Seph will have several days’ worth of frozen food I cooked on you,” Angeal almost deadpanned if not for how amused he was.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Genesis sat back and just watched with amusement, as did Sephiroth.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Doesn’t mean anything,” she said once she’d swallowed the food in her mouth, pointing toward Angeal with her fork, “I can still miss your cooking ahead of time.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“But not me?” he asked, raising both eyebrows.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Not as much as your cooking,” she responded lightly, hoping it was clear that she was just joking around.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Gee. Thanks,” Angeal deadpanned with just enough of a smile that she knew he was joking back, “I see how it is.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re still a horrid actor, Ange,” Genesis lightly sniped from his spot, “so fake.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Angeal merely rolled his eyes at Genesis, not bothering to retort.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You do know that I’m gonna miss you guys, right?” Ami asked in the silence before looking towards Angeal and Genesis, “it’s kinda funny how I’ve only known you guys for less than a month yet, it’s almost like you two are the elder brothers I never had.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Of course, that led to Angeal giving her a great big bear hug and Genesis very gently rubbing his knuckles against her scalp.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I know that we see you the same, Little Sister,” Genesis said with a chuckle before pulling his hand back.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Even if we have some issues to work out,” Angeal agreed, pulling away from the hug, “but that’s par for the course, it seems.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You just can’t turn away anyone who you think needs your help,” Genesis lightly sniped at Angeal.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No, I can’t turn away anyone I <strong>know</strong> needs help,” Angeal said, correcting Genesis gently, “if I did, it would sully my honor.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“If you keep finding strays, we’re going to need a bigger place,” Genesis stated with a slight frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Perhaps, it’s something the two of you can research while Ami and I are in Wutai, if it’s that much of an issue,” Sephiroth said, chiming into the conversation.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It isn’t Seph,” Angeal stated with a reassuring smile. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Very well. If you’re certain.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sephiroth could tell that Ami was growing frustrated and puzzled. He figured it had to do with packing and decided to offer his assistance. As he walked up the steps, he started to pick up bits of some song Ami was listening to, something about a place called ‘Paradise City’ where there was green grass and pretty girls and something about wanting to be taken home. He raised an eyebrow at her musical choice, hearing a lot of guitars and drums. He rapped on her door a couple of times.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Enter,” he heard her call out, hearing her uncertainty in her voice.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He opened the door to see that everything she wanted to pack was arrayed on the floor in organized piles by purpose. Ami was perched on the edge of her bed, staring down at the piles before looking up at him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey,” she said in a greeting before looking back down at the piles.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Would you like some assistance?” he asked, feeling quite amused, just enough to allow the corners of his mouth to move upwards a little.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, I probably do or I might just spend all night arguing with everything,” she said with a frown before saying, “you can come in.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He gave her a slight nod before stepping into her room, careful to not disturb her piles or step on her gear. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I can’t seem to be able to get everything to fit into the backpack,” she said with a frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He blinked at her for a few moments before saying, “not everything has to fit into the backpack. You have a duffel, correct?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She blinked at him before tilting her head, “we’re bringing the backpacks <strong>and</strong> duffels?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was his turn to blink at her before laughing at himself. He was so used to how SOLDIER and the military as a whole operated that he’d forgotten that Ami didn’t have the exact same background, even if she did fight like a Turk. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“This is on me,” he said, seeing her getting flustered at his laughter, “I forget sometimes that not everyone has the same experience as I do. The backpacks are to hold our camping gear for the trip. The duffels are to hold our gear for our assignment as well as secondary camping supplies. When we reach Junon, we’ll be putting our backpacks and motorcycles into Company provided storage. When we do so, we’ll move any supplies and equipment we want on us during our assignment into the duffels.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He saw her rub her face with a smile before chuckling, “well, that helps matters a lot.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It could also be a matter that since you admitted to never have gone camping or traveling, you might not know how to properly pack a backpack,” he stated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That might also be a contributing factor,” she agreed with a nod, “so give me the lesson, sensei. One step at a time, please.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ami looked down at the stuffed camping backpack and the not as full duffel with a smile. She’d managed to accomplish it with more information and Sephiroth’s instruction. Even he seemed to be pleased by her capability to have accomplished the task. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You may wish to sleep soon as we’ll be waking up at our usual time,” he stated with a slight incline of his head.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah and it’s going to be a long day of traveling by bike,” she stated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Not entirely,” he stated, “I’ve signed us up for some missions we can accomplish since we’ll be in the area anyways.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She merely smiled to herself and shook her head. Of course he would. For one thing, she was certain that the only thing he’d ever thought about was work and for another, it was efficient since it meant that others wouldn’t need to make a special trip outside of Midgar to deal with the missions.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Can I ask you something?” she asked with a smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Of course.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Do you ever think about anything outside of work, sir?” she asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He laughed at that, not chuckle but actually laughed for a few seconds before saying, “I do think of other things, Ami. I’ve caught myself contemplating food. And whether it would be worth it to snatch Genesis’ copy of Loveless and hide it somewhere.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’d help,” Ami said with a grin, “we could pass it between each other for a few hours.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He looked pensive for a moment as he muttered, “I wonder if Angeal would be interested in participating.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Assuming he wouldn’t put his foot down and prevent it,” she said as she heard someone knock on the door.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She nodded at Sephiroth, giving him permission to answer the door. Angeal was on the other side of the door, completely looking amused.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I was about to let you two know that it’s late but now you’ve got me curious about what the two of you are conspiring about,” he said with amusement, already dressed in his pajamas, looking between her and Sephiroth with raised eyebrows.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Just contemplating the potentiality of obtaining a mutual friend’s cherished item for a few hours,” Sephiroth stated quietly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And playing a game of keep away before returning the cherished item without any damage to it,” Ami added quietly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She saw Angeal look behind him before grinning, “I’d be interested, provided that once it stops being fun for our mutual friend, we return the item. But that won’t be until you two get back.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span><em>‘It’s best we set up camp and have dinner before it gets too late,’</em> Ami heard Sephiroth’s voice say in her mind as the sun drifted ever closer to the horizon as she matched his speed as they coasted to a stop near a rock formation that covered three of the four cardinal directions.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span><em>‘Looks like a good spot. Defensible,’</em> she responded as she killed the motor and eased herself off of her bike, reaching for her phone to kill the music.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She nearly lost her balance as her legs shook from having been on her bike longer than she was used to. The longest rides she’d been on were a few hours at most, rather than long stretches during the day, only stopping when it was either lunch or they’d gotten within the radius of one of the missions Sephiroth had signed them up for. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Not used to riding as long as we did?” he asked, giving her a look.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah,” she said as she started to feel more solid as she removed her helmet and set it on the seat. “I’ll get used to it by the time we reach Junon. This is technically my first road trip, so to speak.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Never heard that term before. ‘Road trip,’” he said as he started to pull out the kitchen equipment.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I think it’s a concept that isn’t exactly currently possible in this world,” she said as she started to pull out her half of the kitchen equipment, “in my world, people have built up a network of highways and such between cities, towns, and the like. With that in place, people just started traveling on the highways, either to get to another place or just for the sake of traveling.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Wouldn’t that be dangerous due to monsters?” he asked as he got the camp stove situated on a flat rock and got it lit.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“There’s no monsters in the same sense of the word back there,” she said with a smile, “just wildlife and most of the dangerous ones tend to stay away. As it is, wildlife is heavily regulated due to people enjoying hunting them down and some species are on the verge of becoming extinct. Back there, the worst monsters are the ones who are biologically human.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Interesting,” he said as he grabbed a pouch of stew and drained it into a pot and set it on top of the stove, “your former world is quite a different world in many aspects yet similar in others.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, it’s a real exercise in compare and contrast,” she agreed with a nod as she set up her camp chair in the shadow of the rock formation.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What I find interesting is that your world’s ammunition must be more powerful than what Shinra has considering that most bullets don’t damage me as much as yours did,” he stated evenly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Not surprised if that’s the case,” she said, “firearms kind of became the main weapons used in wars once it was better than bows and crossbows. That and artillery. Bombs and shells. Weapon development likely went down a different path in this world due to the existence of Materia and firearms aren’t as developed because they’re not as flexible. Range was likely the biggest focus in weapon evolution.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She saw his smile as he stirred the stew before saying, “that is the basics of weapon evolution on this world. Firearms had to be developed to counteract Materia. Swords and other melee weapons were developed to be used in conjunction with Materia, same with armor. Even then, firearms still have some weaknesses that are still being worked on.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Which is likely the reason I’m unlikely to ever see my handguns again,” she said with a frown, “which is funny because they’re very basic nine mil.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I can see about acquiring a pair if you miss yours so much,” he stated calmly, “it might prove useful to have on hand. There are situations where they could be of more use than your blades.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She nodded with a hum as she could smell the stew and see the steam starting to rise from the pot. She set up the camp table she’d shoved into her duffel and took out the loaf of bread that was also packed, but in a way that it wouldn’t get smashed. She then took out her mess kit and got ready for dinner. Within moments, dinner was ready, consisting of stew and slices of buttered bread. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So I’m guessing that after dinner and cleaning up, we’ll be getting the tent set up,” Ami stated, getting a nod from Sephiroth. “Which means we’ll be problem solving for when we get to our assignment,” she added, getting another nod. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She shook her head with a frown. She was definitely not looking forward to the morning.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Is setting up a tent usually this easy?” Ami asked as she stepped back to admire the fact that the tent was up and secure.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It is when there’s more than one person working as a team,” he said with a slight smile before she walked into the dark tent to take in how much space there really was.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She could mentally see where they could tie a line from the arch of the door to the back wall, allowing them to put in a curtain while also drying out clothing. She was quite expecting it to be a case of hand washing laundry, which she had to do a few times and didn’t enjoy it. On each side, there’d be more than enough space for a sleeping bag and their bags, easy. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes, that does sound like a good idea,” he agreed, clearly having seen her thoughts, not like she was hiding them, “however, the line will get in the way after a few months and we’ll need to put in the stove for heat.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I didn’t take that into consideration,” she said with a frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We’ll work it out. For now, I’d like to get all our bags in before it gets dark. While I know I’m the most dangerous thing out here, I don’t want to spend all night fending off predators,” he said almost coldly. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She nodded before grabbing her duffel and camping backpack and looked at Sephiroth, who had no issue carrying his gear and looked at her, tilting his head at her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You should probably choose which side’s yours,” she said quietly, getting a nod from him before he strode in and claimed the right hand side of the tent.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She followed soon after to claim the opposite side and started to get her bedding ready. She could hear Sephiroth doing the same. Behind her mental barriers, she was amused by the very idea that she was out camping with the guy. The same guy who still very well could try to destroy the world in seven years. She found herself having trouble seeing that, but she was willing to believe it was only because she was dealing with an actual person and not just a grouping of pixels on a screen.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When morning arrived, Ami discovered that it wasn’t as much of a problem. She wondered if it was just exhaustion from that day’s trip and activity or what, but once her head hit her pillow, the next thing she knew was that she was being nudged awake. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s almost dawn,” she heard a deep baritone voice say as she rolled over in her sleeping bag.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Next thing she knew, she smelled the familiar aroma of coffee and chocolate. “I have coffee,” that same voice stated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She drifted in her sleep until she found herself on the cold, hard ground. That had definitely woke her up. She shivered as she opened her eyes, seeing black leather boots. She didn’t need to look up to know what it meant. But that didn’t stop her from looking anyways, craning her head upwards, taking in his legs, skipping up to his chest, shoulders, neck, all the way to his face. Her inner fangirl let out a squee of happiness before being launched into orbit, Team Rocket style.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I see that your eyes are now open,” he said, “now the question is whether you can at least sit up.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s all you want me to do, sir?” she asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Bare minimum,” he said with a faint chuckle as she moved to sit up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She stood up, seeing that her sleeping bag was unzipped on the pad. He’d unzipped her sleeping bag and must have rolled her out of it. Before she could do anything else, a mug had been shoved into her hands, filled with a brown liquid which smelled of coffee and chocolate.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“When you’re ready for breakfast, join me,” he said before ducking out of the tent flaps.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She changed into her uniform and packed away her sleeping clothes before joining Sephiroth with her mug of coffee half emptied. He had breakfast already heated and looked as if he were thinking. She sat down at the camp table and focused on eating and compiling a list of tasks she was going to need to do. Like packing away her bedding, packing away the table and chair and help taking down the tent, all before they were to leave. And of course, she knew that he’d want to get started as close to the bright end of dawn as possible.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“If it helps you feel better, we’re making better time than I expected,” he stated as he started to pack up the kitchen equipment, clearly having eaten while she was waking up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s good, but wouldn’t that mean a longer layover at Junon?” she asked, taking a sip of her coffee.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She saw him tilt his head at her and she decided to explain the concept to him, “in the world I’m from, the main methods of travel are trains, busses, and planes. Layover is the time between connections, going from one route to another while traveling on those methods.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I see,” he said before nodding, “then yes, we will have to stay longer at Junon than anticipated, but that won’t be an issue. In fact, it will offer me more of an opportunity to show you around as well as buying other supplies we’ll need.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“How long will travel take from Junon to our assignment?” she asked as she finished her breakfast.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No more than two weeks, depending on how many storms are on our path,” he said with a slight frown, “we’ll be traveling during the stormier part of the year.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And I’ve never been on so much as a raft, let alone an actual ship,” she said with a frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He merely had a vague hint of a serene smile, as if he were remembering something fondly. Whatever it was, it evaporated quickly, leaving a ghost of amusement on his lips.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Then you’ll have quite the experience then,” he said before getting up, “I’ll clean your dishes while you pack up your sleeping bag and mat. We can’t take down the tent until you’ve done so. Tomorrow, I expect you to move faster in the morning.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No promises, boss,” she responded with a frown before downing the rest of her coffee, seeing that the sun wasn’t quite up although it was bright enough for her to see everything unaided.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“As it is, I intend to put you through more work due to the fact that you were difficult to rouse this morning,” he said with a stern expression.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She merely hung her head with a sigh before saying, “you’re gonna be the death of me, boss.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hardly,” he commented, “if anything, I might be too gentle with you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ami was trying hard not to cry in sheer joy as she could see a city on the horizon after four days on the road, stopping only to eat, sleep, fight monsters, and restroom breaks, which involved digging a hole behind some rock formations for privacy. All that was on her mind was getting a hot shower and using an actual bathroom. She was so done with the road trip which had sounded fun but turned out to be quite the trial by fire. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span><em>‘We’ve been away from civilization and the first things you think about are bathrooms and hot showers?’</em> he asked in her mind, completely amused.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘And what are the first things you think about?’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span><em>‘Being able to upload the reports for all the missions we’ve cleared and actual food that aren’t field rations,’</em> he commented before adding, <em>‘and perhaps a hot shower.’</em></span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She rolled her eyes as she could tell that they should be hitting Junon not too long after nightfall. She just hoped that Sephiroth was as willing to push for Junon as she was. What was she kidding? Of course he’d push for Junon, regardless of her opinions on the matter. He had mission reports to send in. She merely shook her head at him as she wished that her smartphone hadn’t died halfway through the second day. She could use the tunes. Even if she knew that he could get the mental equivalent of her singing along. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She was thankful that she had the foresight to remove a specific song from her playlists. She didn’t want him to get that kind of feedback from what amounted to his boss song. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ami continued to grin as she followed Sephiroth through the night covered streets of Junon, heading for an inn. They coasted to a stop in front of one that she considered a bit on the ritzier side, one which had no interior room access. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span><em>‘Keep an eye on things. I’ll see about our room,’</em> he said in her mind before she could climb off her bike. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She merely gave him a completely sarcastic salute in response before climbing off to stretch her legs. She was just thankful that he’d allowed for her to do her morning stretches. But what caught her eye was the fact that he’d started perfectly mimicking her movements after the third day, also stretching as well. That had been an interesting sight seeing Sephiroth mimicking her own Tai Chi routines exactly how she’d been doing them. And then he seemed to be appreciative of how much of a stretch he’d gotten from doing so. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span><em>‘There is a bit of an issue. This inn only has singles available. Do you want to try another inn?’</em> he asked in her mind.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span><em>‘We can just get two singles. We don’t have to share a room, even if we’re going to spend all of our assignment living out of the same space together,’</em> she responded with a frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘As well as the trip by boat.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘I think I’ll survive with my own room for the duration of our stay in Junon.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There hadn’t been a response or a retort. Minutes later, Sephiroth approached where the bikes had been parked and handed her two keys.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I want us to have copies of each other’s rooms just in case of emergency. Same rules apply as if we were still in Midgar,” he stated, placing the two keys in her hand.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Understood,” she said as they walked their bikes and equipment over to the ground floor rooms they’d gotten. “What’s the plan for tomorrow?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ll let you sleep in and then we pick up more equipment for our assignment. I suggest that if you have any hobbies, you’ll want to pick up things for said hobbies.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And you were saying you were being too gentle.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“There’s a line between being a ‘harsh taskmaster’ as you like to say, and outright torture,” he said with a frown, “I refuse to outright torture you like that. I know how it feels. You deserve better than that. You deserve better than this.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There was something about how he said that last sentence that bothered her. She didn’t know why. She merely hid the pain deep and continued on. She had a hot shower in her very near future just like he had all those reports to send in in his. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : : .</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Author’s Note: 2/10/21</p><p> </p><p>This chapter was one that was really annoying to get through because I just didn’t have the inspiration. However, I somehow have inspiration for the boat ride and a lot of the stuff that’s gonna happen in Wutai. It’s just getting to the boat that’s the pain, lol.</p><p> </p><p>I also ran through a version of the canon timeline and wrote up a very basic one for BtV, adding in events from canon which would still happen, but slightly differently. Some events wouldn’t even happen because of Ami’s interference. </p><p> </p><p>I didn’t go into detail with the road trip because after a while, they’d just settle into a routine and it would become boring to write out. I’m also going to be skipping over their stay in Junon entirely because I just don’t have the inspiration and it mostly has no real effect on the story. </p><p> </p><p>Random BtV Trivia Time: There are two songs which makes me think of Sephiroth: monster by starset and the unforgiven by metallica. If anyone could toss me song recommendations, I would be very happy!</p><p> </p><p>Laters!</p><p>~Gregora</p><p> </p><p>Next Time on BtV: Master and student settle for a long voyage. When a storm blows over the ship, Ami finds herself in a storm-tossed battle over the very future she’s trying to create.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0025"><h2>25. A Stormy Fight</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Ami and Sephiroth gets settled on the ship. A few days out, the ship encounters a storm. Sephiroth reminisces, Lazard gets a surprising message, and Ami fights for the future she desires.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Disclaimer: I don’t own squat except for Ami. I’m just playing in Square-Enix’s sandbox, yo. Also, I need feedback and lots of since I know I’m not perfect and if things don’t mesh or match up, I’d like to know how to fix it. Anyways, on with the story!</p><p>Trigger Warning: thunder storm, violence</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Chapter Twenty-Three</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So this is where we’re staying for up to two weeks, huh?” Ami asked as she walked in behind Sephiroth, dropping her duffel on her cot.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The room was almost a ten foot by ten foot square plus an adjoining bathroom, the door to which was near the foot of her cot which was obviously secured to the wall, likely the same with Sephiroth’s cot. Between the two cots on the wall opposite from the door was a desk. She could already feel the cabin fever start to set in and the ship had yet to leave port.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“This is roughly the same size as our tent,” he stated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“True, but there’s more outside than there is now,” she said with a sigh as she noticed the latched drawers under her cot. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’ll live,” he said simply, “there’s a reason I encouraged you to purchase items for hobbies. I refuse to allow you to sink into cabin fever if I have anything to say about it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I should probably apologize ahead of time. I may just test your patience in the coming weeks and I’m sorry for that,” she said with a frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The ship had been at sea for only a few days when the storm hit. Ami swore that if she wasn’t clinging onto her very securely bolted cot, she would be flung between the walls and feeling quite like a pinball. Gravity pressed her against the wall at her back before trying to toss her against the opposite wall where Sephiroth’s cot was. And Sephiroth was just sitting at the desk with the thick laptop they’d been assigned, likely doing paperwork. The only indication that the change in gravity affected his work was when he’d take a moment to put down a hand to keep the laptop from sliding, his furious typing never slowing.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She saw it as both amusing and annoying. Amusing to see him just being completely and utterly unperturbed by the fact that they were on the least fun carnival ride ever while annoyed by the fact that she was definitely not having fun and she wanted off this least fun carnival ride ever, thank you very much. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“The storm will pass, Ami,” he said calmly as he continued to type as his eyes glanced over at her for a moment.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I know. But that doesn’t mean I have to enjoy feeling like I’m being tossed from wall to f---ing wall,” she grumbled, trying hard not to snap at him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Did I say the wrong thing? I was merely trying to assuage your… emotions.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No, you didn’t,” she said as she continued to be jostled, “just… this is the first time I’ve ever been on anything on water. Just… feeling a bit… I don’t know… overwhelmed, I guess is the closest word.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He chuckled, closing the laptop and securing it in a drawer before turning towards her with some amusement in his eyes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“At least you’re having a better reaction to your first storm at sea than I did,” he said with a smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Are you saying that the usually unflappable, calm as a lake, big badass Silver General Sephiroth himself got flapped?” she asked with a lot of humor.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“More than that,” he said with a chuckle, “Genesis compared me to a scared kitten, clinging to the closest solid object. Angeal had to keep getting on his case for teasing me.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“How long had you known them at that point?” Ami asked, wanting to hear more.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“A matter of weeks. From what I heard, Genesis was the one who chose to dog my heels and Angeal followed to, and I quote, ‘keep him from being more of an idiot he already is’,” Sephiroth said, completely amused with an unmistakably fond expression as he chuckled, “he annoyed me greatly. It was like what Zack was like with Angeal early on. He simply would not leave me alone. And then Angeal decided that he should start dogging my heels too. Lazard took note and decided to have us be a unit together. If not for Lazard, I don’t know if I would have them as my friends now.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Have you thanked Lazard for that?” she asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You appear to be implying that I should. What do you recommend I do?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Perhaps just telling him how you appreciate that his actions have led to you forming friendships you now prize.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Director Lazard was surprised to get an email from Sephiroth, who was for all intents and purposes, his second in command. He knew that the younger man should be on a ship halfway to Wutai, judging by how much paperwork he’d managed to go through digitally. Usually, that was all the communication he got from the man, just efficiently done paperwork. So when he saw a personal message from him, he grew uncertain and surprised.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>From: Sephiroth (Seph@shinra)</b>
</p><p>
  <b>To: Lazard (LazaD@shinra)</b>
</p><p>
  <b>Subject: Gratitude</b>
</p><p>
  <b>Message: I fear that I may have been discourteous in not informing you of how grateful that I am of what you had done all those years ago. In assigning myself, Angeal, and Genesis together as a unit, it has led to a friendship between us that I cherish greatly. I merely wish to express my gratitude although I had been greatly displeased by your actions at the time. Thank you. </b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Lazard couldn’t hide the smile, knowing that he was already aware that the three Firsts were nigh inseparable since their joint assignment to Wutai. He knew that the three of them were grateful - Angeal had been the first to thank him for it. Genesis implied that he was grateful. He’d never expected Sephiroth to also thank him, even if the letter was rather formal, but the man was rather formal to begin with. He knew that the joint assignment was the right decision when he made it, believing that Sephiroth just needed to realize that there were people who truly wanted to be his friend. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He smiled again at the email and moved it to the folder where he kept the emails he saved for sentimental reasons. Just for the next time Sephiroth did something which irritated him. Or made him question just why he did favors for the younger man. Because sometimes, favors led to beneficial, life-changing events.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ami found herself waking up not in her cot as the waves continued to toss the ship about. She was aware of a few things at first. Warmth, the fact that she was clearly in a cot and covered by blankets, and something wrapped around her sides and back that kept her from being tossed around. And that she could hear a pulse that wasn’t her’s, beating against her ear. She heard a very familiar voice mutter, clearly deep in sleep, loud against her ear. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘Okay, I’m somehow in Sephiroth’s bed. I hope I’m not naked. I hope </span>
  </em>
  <b>
    <em>he</em>
  </b>
  <em>
    <span> isn’t naked.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Her inner fangirl disagreed. She shoved that bit of her away. She felt his arms tighten around her as he continued to mutter. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘The poor guy’s dealing with a nightmare. And I… I don’t know what to do…’</span>
  </em>
  <span> She reached out with her telepathic sense and picked something up. It was like there was a strand of something reaching out of Sephiroth’s mind. She shifted, not liking where this was going.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A wave jolted the ship hard enough that with her having shifted and altered Sephiroth’s grip, she flew out of his cot and landed on her tush on the ground. She glanced up at the viewport on the door. For a moment, she swore she made out glowing cyan eyes and a flash of silver. She <strong>really</strong> didn’t like where this was going.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She took in a deep breath and grabbed her dual blades and a few pieces of her combat gear which had materia equipped before giving chase. She quickly did a quick once-over at the dual blades’ materia load out and shifted a few. She made sure that her defensive materia would give her resistance to electricity. She did not want to get her nervous system too damaged by natural bolts of lightning.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She ran down the corridor, following the trajectory of the shadow she’d seen. As she approached the stairs, she caught the fleeting glimpse of the shadow going up the stairs to the main deck. She was aware that she was wearing a tank top and shorts, a belt with a couple of materia slots, a bangle with three materia slots and had the two sheaths for her swords attached to said belt. And she was barefoot. She was the absolute opposite of ready to fight anything or anyone.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She ran onto the main deck to see the source of the shadow. Her eyes widened as her heart sank, watching him turn around slowly. As if he wanted to do this in a completely dramatic manner. She already knew what he was with his black leather, gleaming pauldrons, and silver hair which was definitely longer than her mentor’s. She definitely knew when he looked at her, nothing but cruel amusement and madness in his eyes, making her see his eyes as snakelike. His mouth curved into a smug grin as he took in her appearance.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She felt his telepathic attack, his attempt to take her over. She laughed as she fought him off, but just barely. His grin never wavered as he pulled back the attack.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I see,” he said, deciding to walk around her, “I decided to remove one obstacle and instead, I find a new one.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She slowly spun in place, doing her best to keep her balance. Her opponent, however, was barely affected by how the ship was tossed about as his hair started to get drenched, sticking to him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“How are you here?” she asked, demanding an answer from him as goosebumps ran down her back as he continued to slink around her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It brought to her mind a poem she’d been forced to memorize for her eighth grade English class.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Tyger, Tyger, burning bright,</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I could ask you the same. Your actions show that you know more than you should,” he practically purred at her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>In the forests of the night,</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“After you. After all, I did ask first,” she responded lightly as she tightened her grip on her dual blades out of nervousness and fear.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>What immortal hand or eye,</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He laughed, a somewhat unsettling laugh. A bitterly amused, malicious laugh. A laugh very different from the chuckles she’d heard from her mentor. Even his movements were slightly different, as was how he held the Masamune.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That you did,” he admitted, still smug. Still smirking. Still amused. “I am here, but also not. I’m sure you understand.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Could frame thy fearful symmetry?</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re still in the Lifestream, piloting puppets. Since you’re already working through a puppet, your telepathic ability becomes strained in trying to control more of them. You’re likely at your maximum load, which was why I was able to fight you off,” she stated, “and because of this, you know you’re nowhere near as strong as if you’re in your original body.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He laughed again, continuing to prowl around her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>In what distant deeps or skies,</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, you are smart and so clever. I can see why he... “ he said with a chuckle, “you’re going to be so fun to play with. Much more fun than Cloud was. It was easy to play with his mind, his emotions. But you… oh, you will be much more a challenge. Although, it is obvious as to what you cherish. It’s a fool’s errand you’re on, my lady.” There was a pause before saying, “now I believe it’s your turn.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I was torn from another world. One where there are stories about this world. And how you were killed three times by the same man whom you seem to have a problem underestimating. I invite you to underestimate me. I have no qualms ending you just as Cloud did. Three times,” she said before chuckling, “I wonder if the second or third time you were slain was because Cloud’s sword was the only thing of Cloud’s he was willing to stick in your body…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His feet stopped moving and he spun to face her. His malicious, smug grin was gone. In its place was almost a scowl. She knew that she had him. She just didn’t know if it was the brightest idea to incur his wrath, but it was definitely not something she’d shirk away from. His cyan snake eyes narrowed at her, the irises practically blazing with mako.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Burnt the fire of thine eyes?</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Pardon?” he asked, his voice almost somewhere near a growl and a hiss.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Just saying that you kinda came off like a spurned lover with some major stalker tendencies. In fact, there’s an awful lot of stories fans have written which is entirely about how thirsty you are for Cloud. How you really wanted to have intercourse with him,” she said before her forced calm expression was shattered by the force of the grin which really wanted to come out, “Though it is entirely possible that the stories are wrong and it’s less you wanting to shove your manhood in him but the opposite.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She knew the attack was coming from the slight movements she’d learned to notice and recognize, moving to block the attack that she hadn’t expected to see coming. She expected more force to the blow as she was still forced back due to the fact that she was barefoot while he had boots on which gripped the wet, slippery surface better. Lightning cracked overhead, completely in the clouds as she started to go on the offensive. She knew that it was a matter of time before her mentor noticed her absence.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>On what wings dare he aspire?</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Just because his movements were slower and his attacks didn’t hit as hard didn’t mean she’d take him as an easy opponent. His movements still held clear skill beyond what she had. She tried to push him back, tried to make an opening, knowing that she was attacking with two weapons while he could only attack or block with one. Their weapons clashed, him moving Masamune into the right angle to block both weapons. She kept on him, unwilling to let him take the lead in their deadly bladed dance. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>What the hand, dare seize the fire?</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She saw his singular black wing unfurl before he took to the sky without word. She tracked his movement before he disappeared into the dark night and the stormclouds above.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Ami? Where are you?’</span>
  </em>
  <span> she heard her mentor’s familiar and warm voice in her head.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Sorry. I thought I heard a commotion and decided to check it out,’ </span>
  </em>
  <span>she responded as she saw a black feather drift down as the winds started to calm as the storm passed, </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘I’m on my way back to our quarters.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She sheathed her dual blades as she saw the feather fade into smoke. She didn’t like this development. Not at all. As she turned toward the stairs, the door opened to reveal said mentor, still in his pajama pants but holding a towel as he stepped aside to let her through.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Next time you think something’s happening, wake me up,” he stated as she passed him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sure thing,” she said as he handed over the towel as she carefully stepped down the steps so that she wouldn’t slip.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What did you find when you checked out this commotion you thought you heard?” he asked, following her as she started to also worked to dry herself off.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I have no idea how to explain,” she said with a sigh, “but everything’s okay. For now, at least.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It troubles you,” he said, following her steps, “so I want to know what it is.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I think… I’m not ready to talk about it. Either you’ll have a hard time believing it or you’ll believe it and it’ll terrify you. And I’m not ready to navigate either potentiality right now. I’m too… everything to handle telling you with the proper care and compassion right now. I promise that when I feel I can do so, I will tell you everything.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Very well. I will however stress that I don’t like secrets being kept from me. Especially by my own mentee,” he said with clear discomfort, “but I will trust that when you feel comfortable and that I’m ready, you will share these secrets with me.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She stopped to look at him in the lights of the corridor. He looked troubled and like he hadn’t slept well. She hoped his nightmare wasn’t connected to their unwelcome visitor. But she knew better than to give into false hope. She was willing to bet all her gil that it was connected. And she had a bad feeling what exactly they were trying to pull.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You have no idea how much that means to me. Truly,” she said with a smile, “I’d hug you for that if I weren’t sopping wet.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Not my fault you ran out in a storm,” he said with some amusement before turning serious, “I’m just glad you didn’t fall overboard. I don’t feel in the mood to do any sort of late night swimming.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : : .</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Author’s Note: 2/7/21</p><p>I should be working on the beginnings of Seph and Ami’s travels, but these scenes decided to occupy my mind. I’ve written several scenes where it’s Ami or Seph and Ami encountering post-AC Sephiroth meddling in the new timeline. But I think I like this one. Ami just is a little shit to evil Sephiroth. She can’t help but to goad him. </p><p>I think it’s blindingly obvious what his goals and plans are and he’s going to be doing some serious lurking. I’m actually worried about Angeal and Genesis. You know that he’ll want to deal with them too. But evil Sephiroth is far more subtle than good Sephiroth.</p><p>Random BtV Trivia Time: Sephiroth’s first interactions with Genesis in the BtV timeline is that of Genesis literally not being able to leave Sephiroth alone. Always having to skulk around, hoping that Genesis wouldn’t see or notice him. Angeal initially was the one telling Genesis to stop and trying to keep it from going too far until Angeal finds out that Sephiroth does not have any friends. Then Angeal is like ‘okay, let’s try to be his friends, but we do it this way’. Lazard notices and goes “these three need to be put on a team.” The icebreaker was the memory Sephiroth shares where Genesis is having a hoot and Angeal tells him to cut it out and comforts poor scared kitten Sephiroth. In BtV, this happens when Sephiroth is like 16-17 maybe as late as 18 (meaning he’s known them anywhere from 2-4 years). I can’t help but to imagine Genesis chasing Sephiroth going “senpai! Notice me!” and Sephiroth’s like “I notice you! Now go away and leave me alone!”</p><p>Laters!<br/>~Gregora</p><p>Next Time on BtV: Ami and Sephiroth suffer in silence until Ami has had enough. The two of them make a promise to each other.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0026"><h2>26. Chasing Nightmares</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Ami gets done dealing with her own nightmares. She decides to fight off Sephiroth's own nightmares and the two make a promise.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Disclaimer: I don’t own squat except for Ami. I’m just playing in Square-Enix’s sandbox, yo. Also, I need feedback and lots of since I know I’m not perfect and if things don’t mesh or match up, I’d like to know how to fix it. Anyways, on with the story!</p><p>Further notes: I don’t typically do this, but I want to share a song which was what I primarily listened to while working on this: Starset - Monster</p><p>Trigger Warning: Nightmares, child abuse, light medical torture, murder</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Chapter Twenty-Four</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Thanks to finding out that there was an evil Sephiroth running about, Ami found her nightmares had taken on a new flavor. She was able to live with nightmares of her past, those were just memories turned into torture. She’d lived through those events and survived. She was even able to withstand the nightmares of her mentor having his own Nibelheim Incident. But when her nightmares involved this evil Sephiroth from another timeline tormenting her mentor into becoming just like that creature, that was just too terrible for her to deal with. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>If only because she feared just that. She feared that on her own without any force to counteract her, she had a fighting chance to keep him from becoming that. But the addition of this evil future or alternate timeline Sephiroth influencing things, she doubted her chances. And every time she’d jolt awake, she’d look over towards her mentor and hoped that her nightmares were just that. Nightmares. Illusions. Things that burn away come daylight.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And yet, as she moved to put the wall against her back and held her head in her hands, she couldn’t help but to replay the nightmare in her mind, far beyond her shields. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“There’s someone I’d like for you to meet. Our mother,” the evil Sephiroth said with a smug grin.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Where is she? I’d like to meet her,” her mentor said, completely interested by the other’s offer.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You can’t!” she’d shouted, trying to pull her mentor away from the creature.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Her mentor turned on her, his eyes glowing in anger as he pushed her away. “How dare you order me around! This is what I’ve ever wanted - to know about my family and you know it!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“She’s just jealous that she merely got Mother’s gift second-hand. Pay her no mind,” the evil Sephiroth said with a cruel smirk.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“She’s just a Third anyways,” her mentor said, dismissively before joining his evil counterpart and walked off.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Only for the town to be burning and she was caught in a circle of fire and two Sephiroth smirking at her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“She’s for you to decide,” one of them said with some amusement.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“She’s not worth even killing. She’s just a pitiful Third. And worse, a pathetic woman who thinks she could stop us,” the other said, wearing a similar cruelly amused grin.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re not like this, Sephiroth!” she called out.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Not like what? This is what I am, Ami. What I’ve ever been. I’ve merely thrown off the chains that have kept me shackled to Shinra,” her mentor said, his catlike eyes now looking that of a snake.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, is that despair and heartache I see?” the other asked, “isn’t it beautiful?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“The only thing about her that is.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She fell to her knees. “I’m sorry. I’ve failed you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She’d woken up with tears in her eyes. She would have continued to sulk in the pain of her nightmare if she hadn’t picked up sheer terror and pain over the telepathic connection. She looked over to him, seeing him curl in on himself in the cot as she swore she’d just heard him whimper. That sound broke her heart and pushed her to the point that she was done. She was just done with having to go through her own pain and turmoil just to wake up and see someone else suffer. She didn’t even know how he’d managed to enter her dreams, but considering he’d done so before they were experienced with their connection, she was willing to bet that it was something simple.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She just hoped that he’d forgive her for not asking permission.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She laid back down and closed her eyes. She could sense his mind, present but in a neutral state, far from consciousness. She’d never done something like this but she wasn’t going to let him suffer like he was. She heard him let out a quiet sob before she reached out, trying to create a connection between her consciousness and his dream state.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And she found herself in a cold room where the floor was nothing but grates to allow for fluid to move. There were a series of people in white lab coats gathering around a table. She moved to get a closer look but stopped when she swore she heard the voice of a child.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Please!” the voice of a child screamed, “it hurts!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Silence your screams, boy! The pain is only temporary!” she heard an eerily familiar voice say, which correlated to a familiar head of greasy hair, “stop being so emotional!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span><em>‘Damn it Hojo,’</em> she thought, feeling sick to her stomach.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It hurts!” the child cried, “please stop! Please!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She walked right up to the dream version of Hojo and tapped him on the shoulder. The scientist turned around and she clocked him in the face before grabbing the monster in human shape and flung Hojo out of the lab and against a far wall. She heard the sound of broken bones and cracked concrete. She didn’t even give the creature a glance.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And you deserve worse!” she shouted over her shoulder towards the body before she ran over to the table.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There was a little boy in just enough clothing to preserve his modesty, belted down in a spread eagle position. The little boy just happened to have familiar cyan catlike eyes and short silver hair. She wiped the tears off of the boy’s cheek as she looked down at him as she worked on freeing him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey. It’s going to be okay,” she said gently, “give me a moment to get you free.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The boy seemed to calm down now that the torture was over, but she couldn’t see any sign of recognition on the boy’s face. Within moments, the boy was freed and she gathered him up in her arms and found a place to sit down against a wall, holding him tight.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re safe now,” she said, knowing that she was crying as she rocked back and forth, “everything’s going to be fine. You’re safe. It’s going to be okay now. You’re safe. You’re safe.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ami?” she heard the boy ask quietly as she clung to the boy who looked no older than ten.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes?” she asked as she continued to clutch the little boy tightly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You can let me go now,” she heard a familiar voice say from next to her on the floor.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She let the boy go, seeing him fade away before hugging herself, unable to stop the tears. She felt arms wrap around her, pulling her close to him, giving her a hug.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thank you,” he said quietly as she clung to him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That was horrible,” she sobbed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That was my life until SOLDIER,” he said quietly, “are you okay?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“How can anyone be after seeing that?” she asked, “I… I’m sorry.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I entered your dreams first, if you recall,” he said with a light tone, “it’s only fair you did the same.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Difference is that I knew you were having a nightmare,” she said quietly, “I heard you whimper in your sleep and I couldn’t let you suffer like that.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thank you, for saving me,” he said, continuing to hold her close in his arms so her head rested on his shoulder as she continued to cling to him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After a while, her tears stopped coming and she just relaxed in the security cling of an embrace. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Feeling better?” he asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“A bit. You?” she asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Same,” he said with a small smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Is it okay if I interfere in your nightmares from here on out?” she asked quietly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Only if you give me permission to do the same,” he said gently.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Deal. Let’s chase each other’s nightmares away,” she said, moving so she could offer him her hand in a handshake, which he took in his hand, giving her a slight amused chuckle before letting go of her hand.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m glad that you didn’t get upset for doing that without permission. I don’t like to intrude in on other people’s privacy,” she said with a smile, “and I have no problem punching dream versions of Hojo. Also, something has to be said for the fact that even in your dreams, I have my blades. It’s like you subconsciously know I’m badass.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He chuckled at her, shaking his head.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What?” she asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You,” he said with a very slight smile, “you only think you’re badass after you feel accomplished about something. Rest of the time, you sell yourself short.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’d like to see it as being humble,” she said with a smirk.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You would,” he said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Would you rather I be a raging braggart?” she asked with a chuckle.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sometimes,” he said as she settled back so she was resting her head on his shoulder.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“This is pleasant,” she said in comfort after a quiet moment.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That it is,” he agreed with a nod.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“If it bothers you, just let me know,” she said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh I will. I have no problems shoving you off of me,” he said, sounding amused before turning serious, “I think both of us need this right now.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I agree. I don’t feel comfortable leaving your dream until I know you’re feeling better,” she stated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’ll need to sleep at some point,” he said with a sigh, “I know you’ve been having nightmares too.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know if I could after jumping in your nightmares right after I left my own. It was… bad.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Do you want to talk about it?” he asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Let’s just say that I’m not entirely comfortable with you seeing my nightmares.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“The feeling’s mutual, however, if we have the ability to help each other, I think we should. Even if our nightmares may terrify or unsettle the other,” he said with a slight frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She nodded, still clinging to his dream self. She would never admit that it felt just like the times that they’d clung to each other in reality. He carefully started to run one of his hands up and down her back gently. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“In my nightmare, you brushed me off, saying that I was just a pitiful Third,” she said quietly, “and all I was trying to do was save you. And I failed.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She heard and felt him sigh before saying, “Ami, I would never think of you like that. You may be a Third right now, but pitiful isn’t a word I’d ever use in reference to you. Even when we first met, I never thought you were pitiful. I truly wanted to see what you were capable of. I wanted to see you fighting at your best. You didn’t let me down and you still haven’t. Outside of one incident, of course.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You mean it?” she asked quietly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re in my mind. You should be able to pick up on my emotions,” he said as she could almost taste his honesty and compassion. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Right,” she said, “sorry for not focusing like that.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re tired and hurt. I don’t expect you to be at your best right now. Expecting that from you would be unreasonable and cruel. I may be a lot of things, but I go out of my way to not be those two things if I can help it.” He paused before saying, “if I’d entered that nightmare and saw that, I wouldn’t have bothered arguing with it. I’d have dispensed with it like you did my nightmare’s version of Hojo. It sounds like it’s a manifestation of your own self-doubt.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It probably was,” she said with a nod.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s your biggest limitation,” he said quietly, “and it’s something that only you could overcome. All I can do is help and support you. I think you could be so much more if that weight wasn’t on you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thanks,” she said after a moment. Silence stretched on and she knew he was waiting to hear what she was thanking him for. “You know, helping me and being really supportive. I’d have thought you’d be horribly difficult as a mentor and have exacting standards.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh I am. Just that you’ve met my exacting standards and you’re a fast learner. Most would make me feel like I’m wasting my time teaching them. I’ve never felt like I’m wasting my time teaching you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Have I ever told you that you have an unreasonable high opinion of me?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Every chance you get. It’s something you’re going to have to get used to.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Immovable object meets unstoppable force. We’re going to argue about it until we’re both blue in the face, aren’t we?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Or until you realize that you’re wrong about yourself. But that’s for later. Now, you’re tired and you need to sleep. Don’t think I haven’t noticed you having nightmares almost every night since the storm.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah,” she said quietly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I won’t push for you to open up about it, but I can’t help but to notice that whatever it was, it has you scared.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Only because if you hadn’t woken up, I’d probably would have gotten myself hurt or killed without you knowing.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She could feel that she’d said the worst things possible if she wanted to avoid him from instantly becoming protective of her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And you didn’t retreat?” he asked, “or called out for me?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I didn’t think it would have been a good idea to turn tail and book it on the slippery main deck,” she said with a frown, “and I didn’t want to deal with the fallout. I don’t want to use you as a security blanket or attack dog, Sephiroth.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“From what you were saying, it sounded like you were dealing with an enemy beyond your ability to deal with,” he said, sounding very stern and harsh.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Only because I was at the mercy of gravity and sliding every which way,” she said with a frown, “it was probably just only slightly out of my ability to deal with under better conditions.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Do you even have a shred of self-preservation instinct anywhere?” he asked with a sigh</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Pretty sure I have one somewhere,” she commented with a slight frown, “might have to dig around to find it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m not joking around, Ami. You can’t go around and pick fights you don’t know you could win,” he said before his hands moved and she saw him pinch the bridge of his nose, “and here I thought you <strong>weren’t</strong> going to be an idiot Third.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I wasn’t trying to be,” she said, moving so that she was sitting next to him rather than clinging to him, crossing her arms in front of her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“But you were. It’s why Thirds spend so much time under adult supervision.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Are you implying that I’m some stupid kid who doesn’t know any better?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“If you’re picking fights with things outside your capability to defeat without serious injury, then it’s an apt description.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I can’t believe this. I’m pretty sure we’re similar in age.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Clearly not in maturity.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And you wonder why I clearly have issues if you’re berating me like this - in your dream, by the way.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m berating you like this because you clearly lack the ability to avoid fights you’d lose.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She looked away, noticing that he hadn’t once raised his voice. She reached out to their connection, sensing that he wasn’t angry. What she got was fear and the need to protect. He was scared and wanted to protect her. She just didn’t know why.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry I scared you,” she said quietly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You do know this means I’m not letting you out of my sight,” he said evenly, “not until I know you’re capable of not getting yourself killed.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ve never considered my life to have any significance,” she said quietly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s significant to me,” he said quietly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Because I’m your mentee,” she said with a sigh, “I get it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Not just that,” he said quietly. She looked at him, seeing his face in profile, not looking at her. “I don’t feel comfortable about discussing it right now.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Gotcha,” she said with a nod.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“But I’m serious. I’m keeping you within my sight.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Even if I need to take a shower or bathe? Or are you worried I’d need you to rush to my rescue even then?” she asked, taking on a sarcastic tone.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Your security isn’t something I take lightly, Ami.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We’re going to a warzone, Sephiroth. You can’t worry yourself silly with my security when in a fight for your life.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I can’t? No one has been able to be a real threat to me for the last four years, Ami. Not even you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She’d seen that smug arrogance before. During that storm. That caused a cold chill to run down her back at that thought. Just how much of that thing was still Sephiroth after all? It also didn’t help that he was clearly asking for something horrible to happen to him with that arrogance. She just hoped it wouldn’t get him killed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Regardless, it doesn’t change the fact that you haven’t been sleeping well,” he said, clearly chiding her before asking, “would it help if you fell asleep while in my dream?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Do we know what would happen if I did that?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I doubt it would be dangerous. It’s likely that either we’d wind up sharing a dream or you’ll drift to your own dreams.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I admit I do feel tired,” she said as she moved to lean against him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He moved his arm and draped it over her shoulder. After a few moments, she drifted off. She didn’t remember her dream, let alone whether it was one she shared. The next thing she knew was that she was woken up because her back was killing her and someone was moving her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She hissed in pain before opening her eyes. The room was bright and she felt a pressure against her shoulder as her back spasmed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You fell asleep sitting up, leaning against the wall,” she heard him say in clear disapproval.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And you moving me hurts,” she groaned, trying to fight him off.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m trying to move you into a lying position,” he explained, “I’d hoped I wouldn’t wake you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thanks,” she said as she moved herself gingerly into a position where she was laying on her stomach and was stretched out on her cot.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She looked up at him when she felt herself being hit by a cure and looked up at him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I pressed you to fall asleep, not knowing you were in this position,” he explained with a frown, “clearly you didn’t have another nightmare.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And you?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Also slept the rest of the time free of nightmares as well. Thank you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So you remembered our conversation.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Just the important parts. How you grasped my dream self and comforted me. Our promise to chase off each other’s nightmares. The fact that you admitted to picking a fight outside your abilities during the storm. I wasn’t joking about keeping you in my sight.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You can stop being a mother he- chocobo,” she said, substituting the more local word.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What were you about to say?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Mother hen, which is a phrase from my world.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We use that phrase here too. Female chocobos are referred to as hens, just like whatever creature you used that term for. And I’m not being a mother hen.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Think if I told Angeal of the situation, he’d think you’re being a mother hen?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I think he’d agree about having to keep mentees from putting themselves into unnecessary danger.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It was quite necessary, Sephiroth.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I can’t agree since I don’t know the details.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s best that you don’t. At least, not right now.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She heard him sigh before saying, “I really hate it when you dance around the topic like this. I feel like you’re teasing me.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t mean to,” she said, looking at him, “I… I’m giving you as much as I can. Things are just… touchy. But please understand that it’s not to tease you or out of malice. I’m just… scared. Really, really scared. More scared than I’ve ever been. And I feel like I’ve got the whole Planet on my shoulders.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I know you’re scared,” he said quietly, “just know that whenever you need me, I’ll be there.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Speaking as my mentor, commanding officer, or my friend?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“All of the above.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>. : : .</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Author’s Note: 2/11/21</p><p>The bits before Sephiroth’s nightmare was written on the 10th (yesterday), Sephiroth’s nightmare was written all the way on 1/20/21. The rest was written on the 10th and today.</p><p>Writing Sephiroth’s nightmare hurt a lot and I made a note that I actually cried while writing it. I think it’s cute how they cling to each other for security and is something that I hadn’t planned about their friendship. It’s just something that happened with the closet scene, then with them falling asleep on the couch while clinging to each other. </p><p>Also in the previous chapter, the reason why Ami woke up in Sephiroth’s arms was because she was tossed out of her cot (and hadn’t even woken up) and he simply didn’t want her to get hurt. The only reason she woke up was because she sensed something wrong through the connection.</p><p>Another thing about this chapter is that Ami is willing to confide in her friends when she’s scared. The fact that she was open with him really shows that she’s forgiven him and how much she trusts him. I really like how their friendship works in this version. He still doesn’t quite see her as an equal, but he doesn’t see her as totally beneath him. </p><p>Random BtV Trivia Time: Sephiroth’s nightmare was originally written to be much later in the arc but I decided to move it up because it made more sense for Ami to just get so done with her and Seph having nightmares. </p><p>Laters!<br/>~Gregora</p><p>Next Time on BtV: The rest of the trip becomes just a series of fought nightmares until they reach Wutai. Once there, the two SOLDIERs are forced to adjust to life in a camp near the front lines.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0027"><h2>27. First Day at Camp</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Ami and Sephiroth arrive at the camp. Ami starts to understand what her immediate future is going to be like as a female SOLDIER in an infantry camp full of men.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Disclaimer: I don’t own squat except for Ami. I’m just playing in Square-Enix’s sandbox, yo. Also, I need feedback and lots of since I know I’m not perfect and if things don’t mesh or match up, I’d like to know how to fix it. Anyways, on with the story!</p><p>Trigger Warning: Nightmares, sexual harassment</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Chapter Twenty-Five</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As Ami walked down the ramp and onto the first solid, unmoving ground for the first time in a little more than a week and a half, she knew that so many things had changed in that time. She couldn’t help but to notice that she’d stopped having nightmares of the evil Sephiroth since the night she and Sephiroth had agreed to chase each other’s nightmares away. That didn’t mean that they didn’t have nightmares. And there were times when she couldn’t defeat his and he woke up to her giving him a hug. But he’d never failed to free her from her own night time hells. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She found that his nightmares were variations of two different themes. One was entirely based on the torture that Hojo had inflicted on Sephiroth while he was a child and the horrors that came from having been pushed into war and combat before even hitting puberty. The other theme was the nightmares where he was forced to witness the events of the timeline she knew of - Nibelheim burning, the five days and nights of sleeplessness while pouring over everything in that lab, seeing Jenova, the monsters kept sealed away in Mt. Nibel, Cloud killing him three times over, calling forth Meteor… But what hurt the most was the nightmare in the Mt. Nibel reactor one night.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It started the same as the usual. Investigating the reactor. She’d stepped to block his path, but he hadn’t even seen her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You can’t stop fate, miss,” a familiar voice hissed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“But I can certainly change it. I’m not going to let you win without putting up a fight,” she said, glaring at the evil Sephiroth who clearly looked older.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Like you can even stop one of my puppets. Don’t think I didn’t notice that had he remained in his nightmare, I would have killed you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m aware,” she said calmly, “but the next time I face you, the only way you’ll win is if you face me with your real body rather than through one of your toys.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Before the creature masquerading as Sephiroth could retort, she strode into the reactor. She saw him stare at one of the mako pods. However, his actions were vaguely different than what she was used to. He stepped closer to it and placed his hand on the window before wiping away the dust. She saw and felt the spark of horror and pain and sorrow on his face in profile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Seph?” Zack asked, looking over at the silver haired man.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Don’t let this continue,” she heard him whisper, “please.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She let out a shrill whistle and saw that her actions caused the nightmare to shatter. Everything fell down around Sephiroth and herself in jagged shards. He merely stood there, unmoving. His hand reaching out just like he was still standing in front of the pod. He turned his head to look at her, the movement jerky and not at all smooth.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I knew him…” Sephiroth whispered, “... his name was Henry.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She didn’t ask him permission as she ran to him and wrapped her arms around him. She could just tell that he needed a hug, regardless of whether he wanted it or not. She felt his arms wrap around her tightly. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Do you think that’s what happened to them all?” he asked quietly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I think it’s just a nightmare, but that’s just me,” she said, feeling a frown form.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Really? Is that why you looked absolutely terrified before you hugged me? I think you know something about this,” he said quietly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t want to fight you about it again.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Agreed. However, you can’t keep avoiding the matter.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I know. I just… I’m afraid.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m aware. When you’re in my mind like this, I can feel your emotions more clearly. Even your avatar here is shaking with fright.” he said quietly, “can you at least tell me why you’re so scared to tell me?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I… I don’t know how you’ll react at this juncture. You could just be utterly terrified by what I know. Or… you could… I dunno… decide to… harm others?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m a SOLDIER. Harming others is part of the job. It’s unsavory and it’s nothing I enjoy, but it’s what I must do.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She closed her eyes, “the knowledge that I have… could change who you are. And I… I like this you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’ve shattered my nightmare. You can go at any time,” he stated calmly after a long silence was between them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Will you be okay?” she asked, pulling away, knowing that he’d more or less dismissed her. She saw him give her a nod. “If you say so.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She stepped out of his mind, knowing that it would be rude to stay without his permission. It was best to leave voluntarily than being launched out. She sat up from her bed as she opened her eyes. The sky was brightening with impending daybreak, casting dim light into the room. Her eyes went to the cot opposite hers, seeing him starting to stretch back out in sleep. His nightmare had truly passed and he’d returned to peaceful sleep. ‘If only I could go back to sleep,’ she’d thought, knowing that her nerves were going to keep her from having any meaningful rest.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She knew that he likely didn’t know which reactor it had been, which was good. As long as she could keep him from that village, the better.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She continued to follow behind her mentor, all silver hair, gleaming silver pauldrons, and black leather, his right hand carrying his duffel bag while his left hand was free, allowing him to access Masamune at any given moment. Ami readjusted her grip on her duffel just to give her arm a good pinch. Okay, she was still not dreaming. She didn’t know if that was good or not. She could feel a small ripple of amusement coming from him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘What’s got you amused?’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘You. There are actions you take which give me the impression that you were somehow a fan of mine before we met. And you were never expecting to ever meet me.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She blinked at the back of his head. He’d read her again and it was getting tiresome. If she kept making these mistakes, she knew she wouldn’t need to tell the man anything, he’d have figured it out. It was like she was playing chess blindfolded against him while he’d tell her which piece not to move while she wouldn’t know if he was helping her or hindering her. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Clearly, my observation is correct, if your emotional state is anything to go by.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Killing one’s mentor is typically frowned upon, is it not?’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘If successful. Any attempts on my person would be on par with a good sparring session and would be treated as such.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘And here, I thought we were getting along swimmingly. I apparently forgot that you suffer from a condition.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Oh? And this condition is?’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘I believe the medical term is cranio-rectal inversion, sir.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There was a long moment of silence as they continued to proceed through the base Shinra had put up for the unloading of cargo and personnel before transport. It was all busy, with cranes and people on chocobos and just a general commotion of business.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘You are aware of how fortunate you are that we’re communicating in a way that others can’t perceive.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘I know I’m fortunate that I know for a fact that it’s you in my head and not a part of my brain that declared independence.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Particularly in the regard that if you had spoken like that to me, you would be spending almost all day doing pushups and menial labor. Specifically now where we are in public.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘So keep all witty repartee to the whole telepathy thing, gotcha.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Or to yourself.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Sarcasm and wit is best appreciated with an audience, sir.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Only if the audience is appreciative.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘You’re just grouchy because we’ve been cooped up for almost two weeks and we need to work out our pent-up energy. I think both of us needs a good sparring session.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘I’m inclined to agree. Provided you provide me with a good sparring session.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ami was led to a large field where there were many helicopters idling, landing, and taking off. There was a man standing next to a helicopter which was motionless who approached them. He wore the uniform of a member of the Infantry division. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“SOLDIER First Class Sephiroth,” the man said before looking at her, “ma’am.” The man’s eyes went back to Sephiroth and opened his mouth to speak before Sephiroth raised his free hand.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You are to greet my mentee with the same respect,” she heard Sephiroth say, clearly and politely, but there was a very definite edge.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sorry, sir,” the man said before looking back at her, “SOLDIER Third Class Anderson.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She saw the man look back to Sephiroth, who dropped his hand and gave the man a nod. Ami tried her best to hide her surprise at the fact that her mentor had called out the infantryman’s sexism. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We can be enroute as soon as the two of you are situated,” the infantryman said, opening what she thought was called a hatch on the helicopter. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She tried very hard not to watch her mentor crouch down to climb into the cramped quarters. She knew that there was absolutely no graceful way he could do so with his height. She did find herself glancing over and that when she did, it was entirely so she knew it was her turn to ungracefully climb into the helicopter. It was certainly not to catch any sort of view of her mentor. She wasn’t that kind of person. Maybe. Though he had given her permission to look as long as she didn’t let it affect her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When it was her turn, she slung the duffel bag onto her shoulders with the shoulder strap before clambering into the helicopter, settling down on a seat across from Sephiroth.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So this is another new one on me,” she said with a bit of a frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He merely shook his head at her before looking like he was relaxing before she interrupted the silence as the engines started to roar. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Know the ETA?” she asked, getting a clueless head tilt from him. “Estimated time of arrival.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“When we arrive,” he stated, making it clear that he didn’t know nor care.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>With the sounds, she decided to drown everything out by listening to some music, thankful that the earbuds had some noise cancelling properties. If he was going to relax, she might as well do so as well.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span><em>‘You seem fond of music,’</em> she heard him in her mind as she listened to the music.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span><em>‘Is there anything wrong about that?’</em> she responded.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘...I never understood why you can listen to the same songs all the time.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘I think some of it is because it’s familiar. Some because of the memories of the first time I heard the song. Some because I just like the song.’ She paused before asking, ‘you don’t have any interest in music, do you?’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘It wasn’t a topic I was allowed to learn about. I was told such things have no purpose. That it was the refuge of the easily amused and overly emotional. So I never developed an interest.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘And now?’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘By how your mind practically goes blank outside of images and emotions, I’m inclined to agree. However, as long as you limit your… musical proclivities… to the proper times, I have no reason to get in the way of such activities.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘... If you want Hojo to not die, I suggest you don’t leave me alone with that monster.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘You do know that when he dies, I will eventually do so afterward.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘How do you know if he’s being honest? And how do you know he’s not talking about you dying of old age? Assuming, of course, you’re allowed to. If any of us are allowed that privilege. My gil’s on as soon as any of us gets old enough to start to slow down, we’ll wind up killed in the line of duty. Assuming, again, that there aren’t any currently unknown side effects of whatever was done to us to become SOLDIERs.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘There’s no reason to contemplate such things as the ravages of time and the future. We’re going to be near the front lines, Ami.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Sounds like the perfect backdrop for such conversations, if you ask me.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘I never did.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She allowed the conversation to end there and focused on listening to her music until she felt the helicopter descend. She made sure to stow away her smartphone and her earbuds after stopping the tunes. Sephiroth made his way out of the helicopter and she made sure that she climbed out right behind him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>An elder man looked between her and Sephiroth with a scowl. She knew that he wasn’t too pleased about them as they approached the man. She tried her best to not react to the warm welcome.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“SOLDIER First Class Sephiroth,” the man said, looking at Sephiroth and making it clear that he was not going to acknowledge her presence, “welcome to Camp Providence. I’m Colonel Simmonds.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And this is my mentee, SOLDIER Third Class Ami Anderson,” Sephiroth stated, introducing her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ma’am,” Colonel Simmonds said, giving her the barest of a glance and a barely there nod.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She already didn’t like this assignment. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Lieutenant!” the Colonel barked at one of the infantrymen, “show the… SOLDIERs to where they can pitch their tent.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sir, yes, sir!” the Lieutenant responded snappily with a salute before turning to Sephiroth, “if you can follow me, sir.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As she followed behind Sephiroth, she could see their reactions and feel their stares. Some were surprised, some were curious, and most were practically hateful. She sent what her senses told her to Sephiroth, in case the information was useful. But the worst was when an Infantryman passed her and pinched her butt. Before she could turn around and lunge at the man, she felt an arm on her arm, pulling her along.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span><em>‘Stay with me,’</em> he commanded without taking away her free will.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span><em>‘That… thing pinched my butt!’</em> she mentally screamed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span><em>‘I believe the phrase I should use at this juncture is ‘welcome to my world’,’</em> he sent at her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Leave it,” he ordered, almost dispassionately.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes, sir,” she said with a sigh before his hand let go of her arm and they continued to follow the Lieutenant.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘I get the impression that a lot of people here doesn’t like SOLDIERs.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘The Infantry and SOLDIER are competitive with each other, constantly fighting over funds that Heidegger is granted from the President. The Infantry is Heidegger’s pride and joy, the part of his leadership that gets the most money and almost his undivided attention. He and a lot of the Infantry view us as sub-human and/or lab rats. Most Infantry run camps tend to try to burn out the SOLDIERs assigned to them. Since we’re very public, they will be doing their best to make us break regulations to the point that they can send a strongly worded report to Lazard.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘So you’re saying that we’ll be in constant war in the camp and when we leave camp.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Precisely.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘I’m starting to love this assignment more by the moment, sir.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘And since you’ve proven to cause trouble, I will not be allowing you to leave my sight.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘...I’m more of a problem solving sort, sir. I tend to end trouble rather than cause it.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘And your methods of ending trouble tend to be problematic.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Soon, they were led to a plot of grassland which was on the edge of the perimeter of the camp, furthest from everything. The fact that they were the furthest from everything and near the perimeter told her everything about how the camp viewed them. Wordlessly due to having practiced the movements, the two of them set their tent up quickly. Within the hour, two very worn and very lumpy cots were delivered to their tent, along with a very wobbly table.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I feel like sparring after getting everything situated, sir,” Ami said with a frown as she made her bed on the lumpy pad of the cot.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We shall see,” was all he said on the matter as he, too, worked on getting his own furniture in a presentable and very spotless shape. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ami stood in the clearing, her arms burning as she was having trouble holding her dual blades. Each of them felt like they had to weigh a ton to her sore arms. Every muscle in her body hurt and burned to the point that she was biting back sounds of her pain. She could feel her uniform grow cold with the amount of sweat the woven shirt had soaked up. And still, she stared down at her mentor before lunging at him again.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’ve had enough,” he said with a clear frown as he easily blocked the lunge and sent her flying backwards, her boots tearing apart the grass as they skidded and dug into the ground, “as much as I admire your drive to better yourself, you need to understand your own limits. As it is, you will be regretting this in the morning.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Too late. Already regretting it,” she said before charging at Sephiroth again.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>This time, he used the flat edge of Masamune to knock both of her swords out of her hands, sending them flying. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“This is because of what transpired on the boat, isn’t it?” he asked with a sigh, “you can’t improve if you work yourself too hard. After a certain threshold, all you’re doing is hurting yourself. We’re done.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He sheathed Masamune as she moved to collect her swords, her muscles barely even functioning as she shook with exertion and exhaustion. She could almost taste his annoyance through the connection, but it was more than that. Concern and worry. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘I seem to frequently worry you, sir.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Because you’re being a stubborn and idiotic Third. And I expect you to get yourself cleaned up before you collapse on your bed.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span><em>‘Yeah, I bet I’m pretty smelly,’</em> she admitted with a frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : : .</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Author’s Note: 2/12/21</p><p>This chapter really just existed to move the plot along, showing some character moments. There’s really nothing at all I can say other than writing it dragged in some parts and in other parts, I just was hitting my head against the wall due to some of the things Ami said. Particularly the ‘cranio-rectal inversion’ bit. Sometimes I wonder if she just likes to push her luck and she doesn’t have any self-preservation instincts. </p><p>From here on out, a lot of this arc is going to be scenes and snapshots, less about the war itself and more just about life and friendship. However, there will be some violence and war stuff because of what’s going on, but that’s not going to be the focus.</p><p>Random BtV Trivia Time: I actually had to look up polite ways for saying ‘head up their own ass’ and found cranio-rectal inversion. I died laughing. </p><p>Laters!<br/>~Gregora</p><p>Next time on BtV: Living in a Shinra Infantry camp. What can go wrong? (everything)</p><p>[2/14/21]: I wrote and published a crack one-shot yesterday called “Joy Ride”. This chapter was supposed to have been published yesterday but I fell into the crack and died laughing. It’s the first time I wrote a chase scene.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0028"><h2>28. Third Day at Camp Isn't Any Better</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Ami and Sephiroth's second day being in the camp isn't any better.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Disclaimer: I don’t own squat except for Ami. I’m just playing in Square-Enix’s sandbox, yo. Also, I need feedback and lots of since I know I’m not perfect and if things don’t mesh or match up, I’d like to know how to fix it. Anyways, on with the story!</p><p>Trigger Warning: references to rape, sexual harassment, emotional turmoil</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Chapter Twenty-Six</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It had been three days and Ami couldn’t wait to get back to Midgar. She was well aware that war was far from something fun or interesting outside of learning tactics and history. She’d heard enough stories from her paternal grandparents and her uncles, at least the ones who hadn’t turned to drugs and alcohol once they got back from the Middle East, the few times she’d been allowed to see them. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But this made her want to go out to the front lines and face almost certain death.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Every time she ventured out of her tent, she’d get whistled at, told that she’d be prettier if she smiled, got her butt pinched, and got stared at. All in front of Sephiroth, whose only reaction was to just tell her to let it go and to calm down, which only served to irritate her. Why wasn't he doing anything? Why was he simply allowing her to be the target of nearly the entire camp's sexual attention? She was definitely starting to wonder if their friendship wasn't some illusion her brain had cooked up simply because he was familiar in a semi-familiar world.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span><em>‘Can’t we file complaints?’</em> she telepathically asked as she picked at her breakfast.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Eat. And I have. They go directly to Heidegger rather than Lazard since the issue is with the Infantrymen themselves rather than fellow SOLDIERS.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She forced the food down her throat even if she didn’t feel like eating what amounted to fake eggs with fake vegetables in it. The only thing that seemed real was the one slice of toast and the butter which had soaked into the toast. Even the coffee tasted fake. The food would have been tolerable if she didn’t feel like she was just a walking slab of meat to the Infantrymen.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span><em>‘I believe I can empathize with you more now than ever, sir,’</em> she telepathically sent at him, <em>‘my question is how you managed to not murder all those people who treat you like this?’</em></span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘It’s simply not worth the effort. If I did so, it would be a momentary pleasure before I’m hunted down like a rabid beast and put down. The same would happen to you if you did so.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span><em>‘They’re doing this to get at us, to make us slip up,’</em> she sent, seeing him give her a slight nod, <em>‘this is freaking psychological torture. And sexual harassment. It ain’t right, boss.’</em></span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘At least I’m here and I refuse to let anything like what happened to me happen to you as long as we stay together.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Were they this bad to you too?’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘I hadn’t reached puberty at the time. I forced my way onto the front lines. I carved swathes in the battlefield specifically to get away from those who wanted to do more than admire me. And that’s how I became a so-called ‘war hero’. By trying to avoid men on my own side.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She stared at her food, her stomach roiling. She’d known his childhood was utter shit courtesy of Hojo. But this? This was something that wouldn’t fly in some game. It was disgusting, yet almost unsurprising. It was almost human nature. She'd seen his mental image of himself as a child and knew that if someone had no morals or ethics, all they needed to do was squint a tiny bit to make their mind see him as a child as a young girl rather than a young boy. And that didn't help her stomach any.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘The whole ‘idiotic Third’ rationale was really just a cover, wasn’t it?’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘More an additional reason and one which wouldn’t have chafed as much if I’d merely referenced your gender.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Please tell me that there’s missions in the area. Or something else to do that doesn’t involve sticking to camp,” she sighed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Not yet,” Sephiroth said with the barest of frowns before pulling out his PHS and took a look at the screen. <em>‘Just got a response from Heidegger concerning our complaints. Message reads: ‘this is what happens when women shove themselves into the world of men. Stop wasting my time.’ He sent me a similar response eight years ago.’</em></span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘So we’re on our own.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘As I expected.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘What do we need to do in order to get recalled to Midgar?’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Break enough regulations, which is not recommended. We wait. Do well enough that you’re called back to get awarded.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Translation: we’re gonna be here long term so I should just be all demure and allow the men to do as they please. Ugh.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘The worst I’ll allow them to do is what they’ve done so far. I refuse to allow anyone get that close to you that isn’t a medic.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘You know this is going to get real annoying and tedious real fast, right?’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘I believe you understand the consequences if you don’t.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Your form’s getting sloppy,” Sephiroth stated evenly as he moved to deflect the attack.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m frustrated!” Ami exclaimed as she dug her feet in to lunge at him again.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And in your emotional state, you are making the same mistakes we corrected before we left Midgar,” he stated, “your improvement is reversing and I won’t stand for this.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He could perceive her emotions through the connection, keeping them neatly separated from his own. She was becoming emotional enough that he wondered if she could even make Second with how much ground she’d lost over just about two weeks. Why couldn’t she just control her emotions rather than allowing them to ride her like this? Another barrier they would have to deal with, this one sooner rather than later. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, well, can’t help it. Part of the whole human thing. Likely part of the whole empath thing too,” she commented with a frown as she tried to break through his guard.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He was growing impatient and bored with this. She was practically flailing with her dual blades, nearly mindlessly. Did she ever retain anything at all from before the boat? He let out a breath in a small sound. It was like he’d wasted all that time training her if she was going to forget like this. He moved Masamune so that the blade was flat and sent her flying, making her land just between a couple of trees.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We’re done, Ami,” he said, loud enough that he knew she could hear him from over where she was as she approached with a frown clear on her face.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Define ‘done’. ‘Done’ as in ‘done training for today’?” she asked, her head slightly tilting in curiosity.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You have conveniently forgotten all that we worked on before we got on the ship. You’re wasting my time,” he stated, sheathing Masamune, “so you will be following in my shadow until I can convince Director Lazard to withdraw you back to Midgar and reassign you to be someone else’s problem. Alternatively, you can prove to me that you’re not wasting my time, Anderson.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She stared at him as she just stood there. Waves of confusion, hurt, and fear rippled off into the connection. He kept his own thoughts and emotions behind the shield that he knew worked so well. Would he do such a thing? Only if this didn’t pan out. He knew that as much as she was uncomfortable and awkward for praise, yet she clearly yearned for it. He’d been far too generous with his praise back then, judging by her current sloppiness. And he knew that she would apply herself with much more zeal and focus if given a strong enough incentive.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“All this because I’m having an off day, sir?” she asked with a deep frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Day?” he asked, “you were sloppy the other day when we sparred. I was willing to give you a pass considering all that transpired on the ship. Today, you’re even worse, which informs me that I had been far too lax with you. So either prove to me that you’re actually worth the effort or pack your bag.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He watched as she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. He noticed her setting her jaw as her eyebrows pointed towards the bridge of her nose. Her stance changed, becoming closer to what they’d practiced before making the needed alterations. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Fine,” she stated, her eyes opening as he could see the mako glow brighten, “I wanted to vent my frustration but… fine. Your way, sir.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She started to go through the drills, exactly like he’d trained her. Almost flawlessly, but the flaws were new ones. New flaws were acceptable. New flaws meant new problems to fix, new lessons to learn. New flaws meant improvement. As long as they were minor, which fortunately, these flaws were.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Now, keep cycling through until either you can’t hold your swords or I grow tired of watching you. Your emotional sloppiness was because of a lack of muscle memory, it seems. So you’re going to build that until you can do these drills with the same amount of accuracy as your morning stretches.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He’d expected complaints and telepathic backsass. Instead, she was completely focused on the sword drills. A tiny part of him was troubled by what he was picking up through their mental connection. He’d hurt her. All but that tiny part considered it acceptable, that it served her right for having wasted his time earlier. But that tiny part knew that her pain was unnecessary. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Once he noticed that her blades were starting to tremble from the exertion, he knew that she was done for now. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s enough,” he stated before giving her the usual sign for her to follow him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He had other things that required his attention other than making sure she was ready for her first real taste of combat against other people. She was silent, both physically and mentally, the only sounds coming from her were the sounds of her sheathing her blades and her quiet footfalls in the grass as she followed him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The only thing which came through the connection was nothing but a continual undercurrent of frustration that didn’t seem to ebb. As she followed him, he caught the undercurrent of frustration only growing as infantrymen touched her or whistled at her or gave her heated stares. He was actually starting to wonder why the frustration only kept growing in her. Her usual response was to ask to spar, but they both knew that she wasn’t capable of doing much in the way of sparring. She didn’t even bother to make a sarcastic comment. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After a rather tedious meeting with Colonel Simmonds, Sephiroth noticed that what had once been an undercurrent of frustration was now far more than a simple undercurrent. The level of frustration from her was far too high for his comfort. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span><em>‘Is there anywhere we can go that’s out of sight? I need to punch a tree.’</em> she’d sent him, her message and thoughts drenched in her frustration.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span><em>‘Why a tree?’</em> he inquired in pure curiosity.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span><em>‘Because a tree wouldn’t criticize my form or accuse me of wasting its time,’</em> she practically spat at him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It puzzled him why it bothered him outside the fact that she was being openly disrespectful over their connection. That alone brought his ire. He stopped walking and turned to regard her. She appeared to have stopped walking when he did. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Drop and give me twenty,” he commanded.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She dropped and started doing push ups exactly as he’d ordered her to do so when she was masquerading as a Third. It was the only time she spoke, either physically or telepathically. He was almost impressed by how well she hid her emotional state from her voice, counting in a clear monotone. She moved to get up and he stopped her by pressing one of his boot covered feet on her back, right between her shoulder blades.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You didn’t ask permission, Anderson,” he chided calmly, feeling a definite spike of anger through the connection.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She practically advertised to him how she wanted to fight back, how she hated the fact that she had to obey, entirely because he was of a higher rank than she was. She tried to push against his boot before he added just enough resistance that she couldn’t push herself beyond the apex of a push up. He could hear her practically growl at him and he couldn’t allow that and pushed her into the ground. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She moved horizontally, clearly trying to push him off balance using the one leg that he was balanced on. She only moved an inch at most toward his one foot which was solidly on the ground, stopped in place by more of his weight on her. She continued to struggle against him, attempting to writhe against his weight on her, but her efforts were in vain.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I wonder… did your previous employer have this same issue with you?” he asked as she continued to try to shake his boot off of her back, specifically the spot right between her shoulder blades.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No because I knew where I stood!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And you currently don’t? Although, is the word truly appropriate considering your current position?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He was surprised at how quickly the edge of her anger dulled as she took in his words and she stilled before letting out a slight sound that could be taken as amusement.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Nice one, sir,” she said with a slight chuckle. She sighed as he pulled back some of his weight and she continued to lay there on the ground. <em>‘It’s like I don’t know if I’m just one of your toy soldiers, your student, or your friend and it changes so quickly. I don’t always know whether I should speak to you as the Silver General, my mentor, or my friend. And whenever I make a mistake, things just… turn out like this. Even with this connection, I can’t figure out which state or mood you’re in.’</em></span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Perhaps we need to institute parameters to resolve this issue. We can work on this later.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He removed his boot and looked down at her. She continued to lay on her stomach on the grass, her arms moving into a potential bracing position, but she didn’t give any signs of standing up. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Permission to stand, sir?” she asked in a tone that told him that it took a lot of effort to say, but was otherwise an emotionless monotone.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Granted,” he stated in his usual calm tone as he turned away.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Once he heard her get onto her feet, he continued on his way, heading towards their destination. She was back to following him quietly, almost right where they’d been before her disrespectful display over the connection. Except that he was aware that she was seething. As long as it didn’t affect her behavior, either outwardly or over the connection, he was content in allowing her to seethe. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Outside of when she knew she was expected to verbally respond, Ami kept her mouth shut and kept her thoughts caged up. It was clearly for the best. It kept things easy. She understood why the whole day had been a shitshow - she’d gotten too comfortable with her mentor. She’d seen him as her friend more than her mentor and far more than she’d seen him as Shinra’s Silver General. It was best to pull away rather than suffer as she had that day. After the Push-up Incident, it was clear that her mind had fabricated the illusion of them having been friends, which hurt but also added to her anger and frustration. The anger was entirely focused inwards, at her evil, vindictive mind which only seemed to want her to suffer.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sephiroth clearly decided that after dinner in the mess, it was time to retire to their tent. She’d been looking forward to tent time, if only because she could not only just sit down and relax, but she could actually just listen to music while playing solitaire. In other words, she could just mentally escape and allow her emotions to reach as close to the floor as possible. She’d never imagined that she’d be yearning for the emotional state of her early teens when she was mostly numb.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span><em>‘We need to speak,’</em> she heard his baritone voice in her head, quiet and polite.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span><em>‘As what? CO and soldier, mentor and mentee, or friends?’</em> she responded, trying to be neutral but knew that there was some caution there.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span><em>‘Which would be preferred?’</em> he asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘A lot of the problem seems to be rooted in the fact that I’ve been considering you as more my friend than the other categories. I suppose that I’ve gotten used to friendly interaction, which I apologize for. I tend to be… less respectful to my friends as I am towards my boss or instructors. It’s a personal failing of mine.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘And I haven’t been… comfortable since our arrival at the camp. We can’t afford another incident like that, Ami. I need you to be more respectful than your usual. Things which would normally be accepted in Midgar wouldn’t be acceptable here. We also can’t take things easy since I need to ensure that you’re ready to deal with an actual combat situation.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Can I ask you a question, sir?” she asked once she set the cards down and removed her earbuds, getting an idea but keeping it behind her mental barriers. She got a nod from him before she continued. “Mind seeing if we go to the clearing we spar at? It should offer us more privacy to talk easier.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ami was glad that night had fallen when they’d set out. She didn’t bother to mention that there had been another reason outside of privacy that she’d wanted to set out for the clearing. Once they’d gotten to the middle of the clearing, she laid back in the grass, her arms bent to allow her to cradle her head as she gazed up at the sky.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Did you ask to come here just to gaze at the stars?” he asked, a very faint grin on his lips.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Not just,” she said with a smile as he approached near where she was laying. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Mind if I join?” he asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Clearing’s definitely big enough for the two of us,” she responded with a smirk.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She was vaguely amused by the fact that he decided to sit down near her, but at a respectful distance yet close enough to have a conversation. She was definitely amused by seeing him move his long hair so it wouldn’t touch the ground and get anything tangled up in it. ‘Wonder what it feels like…’ she thought to herself as she returned her attention to the stars.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t have a problem with letting you touch it. I trust that you wouldn’t pull it or get it tangled up,” he said lightly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Her inner fangirl appeared and started to squeal while blushing.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I would but I’d be too tempted to braid it,” she said, knowing that her face was turning hot.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“If you did so, it would definitely keep it out of the way,” he said, still amused.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“A couple of hairpins and no one would need to duck to avoid the rope of hair whenever you’d abruptly turn around,” she said with a grin.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I accept your offer,” he said with a chuckle at her description.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What? Seriously?” she asked, turning her head to look at him, seeing that he was amused but serious as he nodded at her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>‘I’m so lucky!’ the inner fangirl screamed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I will warn you that it’s been ages since I’ve braided hair, but I’ll try not to get it into too much of a mess,” she said, feeling vaguely uncomfortable.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I trust that you’ll be gentle,” he said as she turned her attention to the sky.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She let out a sigh as she stared out at the stars, all arranged in unfamiliar patterns.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Trying to figure out which one belongs to your world’s sun?” he asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Nah. Not even sure we’re even in the same galaxy, let alone universe,” she said with a sigh, “pretty sure it was a one way trip kinda deal.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Do you wish it wasn’t?” he asked quietly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Depends on the context,” she admitted quietly, “permanently, no. I wouldn’t want to permanently go back to that hole. But to go back just once and pick up some things? Definitely.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He let out a small little hum sound, like he was thinking a bit.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sounds like something’s on your mind,” she said quietly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Just wasn’t expecting that kind of answer is all. I’d thought you’d jump at the chance to go back.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Nah. I’ve got more people who actually care about me here. Here, I’m actually somebody and I’m not seen as diseased or disabled or stupid. Sure, there’s no Hojo there, but Hojo isn’t forever,” she said with a small smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t think you’re any of those. You have abilities I don’t which are actually more useful than you think. Your mind connects things in ways that I wouldn’t have even thought of. You’re far more and far better than you see yourself,” he said quietly, in his serious tone.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, you can see how my brain works. Not a lot of people have that ability. Because of that, you know I’m not being random, it’s just the way my brain catalogues things.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“True,” he said simply. Silence stretched on before he said, “I’d like to know more about the world you’re from if you feel like talking about it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“To start with, there’s a multitude of cultures and countries. The culture I’m from… vaguely similar to Midgar, not gonna lie. Shopping malls, grocery stores, if you look, you could find a store that will sell anything as long as it’s legal. Illegal stuff, you generally have to look real hard for a dealer. Everything’s all about showing how rich you are and hide how poor you are. An interesting push and pull between individualism and conformity. Be unique but there’s the approved ways of being unique. Be too unique, you’re seen and derided as special and become ostracized for it. Be unique in a way people like and you become popular. I was… born to be too unique. I exhibited behaviors that never hurt anyone but were distressing because they weren’t things so-called normal people didn’t do. Behaviors which were just a natural means to soothe myself when things got overwhelming. Then came the diagnosis, a genetic disorder which showed itself as a weird nervous system, abnormal brain and brain functioning, lowered comprehension of body language and social rules, fine and gross motor skills so poor that I had to go through a lot of therapy which pulled me out of my classes and marked me as ‘special’. Marked me for bullying. ‘Oh, look at Camille, she’ll believe you if you ask to be her friend.’”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Camille?” he asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Shortened it to Ami once I was adopted and went to a new school, one that was in one of the more affluent parts of town,” she explained, “school budgets are affected by the kind of neighborhood they’re in. Poor neighborhood, school has no budget. Grew up in the poorest neighborhood in town. Whole section of it nothing but trailer parks.” She saw his expression which told her to explain, “trailer houses are the cheapest housing. The lot set aside for a group of trailer houses is called a trailer park.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I see,” he said with an even tone. “Stargaze a lot?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Before I was adopted, yeah,” she said quietly, “gave me distance from hearing my dad and stepmom fighting.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What would they fight about?” he asked quietly as she was vaguely aware that he’d pulled out his PHS, likely to check in with the guys back in Midgar.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Money and what to do with me,” she said quietly, “the arguments died for the most part after…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“After what?” he asked with a frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t feel comfortable talking about it,” she said quietly, “it’s a part I like to pretend never happened.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sorry if I prodded too much,” he said quietly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Nah, it’s good,” she said with a small smile, “as long as you don’t tell anyone my first name’s really Camille.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh?” he asked, raising his eyebrows, his mouth curving into the closest to a grin she’d ever expect from him as he slid his PHS back into his pocket, “so I shouldn’t have texted the guys back home that your first name’s really Camille?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You jerk!” she said, giving him a gentle shove.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He stared at her in confusion. Right, he didn’t understand the friendly playful thing.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t really think you’re a jerk. It’s intended as playful. It’s normal human interaction where I come from.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ve seen such displays between Angeal, Genesis, and Zack. I’ve yet to understand it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s because, no offense intended, you had a very sheltered and very abusive childhood where you never got the full human socialization experience.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She saw him look up at the sky, his emotions not leaking into the connection. Something told her that he was thinking, considering, puzzling things out. She knew the guy’s mind was probably sharper than Masamune which she swore could cut atoms. In her opinion, his sharp mind, his intelligence, was wasted on combat and fighting wars. A mind like his could change worlds. It was almost tragic by itself how Hojo’s abuse and conditioning and utter madness wasted such a bright mind.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re not the first to have said that my upbringing was sheltered and abusive,” he said quietly, “the scant information I’ve shared with Angeal and Genesis have led them to the same opinion.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You almost sound like you don’t believe us.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Is it truly sheltered and abusive when referring to something not entirely human?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Not this again,” Ami said with a sigh, rubbing at her face before staring right at him, “I need you to really listen to what I’m about to tell you.” She saw him turn his face towards her, his catlike eyes glowing with the bright green of mako before she continued, “you are more human than a lot of humans I’ve had the misfortune of meeting. Regardless of exterior appearances, you’re human where it matters most. If this was my world, you’d have access to colored contacts, hair dye, and makeup if you really wanted to change your exterior appearance. But I wouldn’t recommend it, though.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Why is that?” he asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Two reasons. One, changing yourself to fit some idea of normalcy or perfection or even humanity is the most painful form of torture I could think of.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And the other?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“How blunt do you want me to be?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Painfully and honestly.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re so drop dead gorgeous that if this were my world, you would be worshipped. As a wise man from my childhood would say, ‘there’s no person like you in the world like you, and I like you just the way you are’,” Ami said with a smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And who was this ‘wise man’?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He used to do children’s programming on tv entirely because he was that good with children and was just a very caring individual. His program focused on tackling universal issues that children deal with. I probably was way outside the target demographic when I first saw it but… it really helped me understand things. He’d said that phrase a lot to everyone he felt needed to hear it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Silence fell between them as he looked back up to the sky and she took it as a hint to do the same. She didn’t feel pressured to break the silence, and clearly, neither did he. She was willing to bet that he had the same inclination to take advantage of the fact that they were alone and were out of sight of everyone back at camp. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She was rather surprised when it wasn’t her who broke the silence but him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I think what you did earlier is a good solution.” She looked at him, throwing some of her curiosity and puzzlement into the connection before he explained, “when you asked how to speak to me. If I wanted you to speak to me as the General, your mentor, or your friend. Similar prefaces would also help as well.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She nodded, “it would make things clear. Possibly asking permission to speak as your friend would also help, too. In case you don’t feel like it’s appropriate.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He gave her a nod before another small silence stretched on before it was broken once again, this time by him asking, “would you be interested in learning the constellations?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : : .</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Author’s Note: 2/14/21</p><p>I wrote the bulk of the stargazing scene almost a month ago (1/21/21) and felt that it was a good time to slot it in. I altered some bits within the scene and then added to the end. </p><p>I admit that I enjoy how they’re usually deadpan sarcastic with each other (I have that kind of humor which meant that a lot of Sephiroth’s scenes in CC made me go ‘...did this character just say a very dry sarcastic comment?’ ‘...when did this character have a sense of humor?’) but they also sometimes get set off and the next thing I know, they’re fighting or arguing, and they’re friendly enough for the occasional fluff. I enjoy the fluff, almost as much as their fighting and humor.</p><p>Random BtV Trivia: I hadn’t planned on Sephiroth’s traumatic experience in the war until I realized some things:<br/>	1, He became a war hero at the approximate age of 12.<br/>	2, He was likely even more effeminate before puberty hit.<br/>	3, There are some things about human nature that are utterly terrible and war brings out those things.<br/>	4, Heidegger probably didn’t care if his troops had fun against the rules as long as he got results.</p><p>Also, I have mental images of pre-teen Sephiroth in a tent by himself, laying on his cot and crying into a pillow, wishing he was back with Hojo.</p><p>Laters!<br/>~Gregora</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0029"><h2>29. Bonus Chapter: Transmissions from the Silver Elite</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The Silver Elite have been busy!</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Disclaimer: I don’t own squat except for Ami. I’m just playing in Square-Enix’s sandbox, yo. Also, I need feedback and lots of since I know I’m not perfect and if things don’t mesh or match up, I’d like to know how to fix it. Anyways, on with the story!</p><p>Note: This is just a fun bonus I decided to add for laughs.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>Subject: Reports of Non-Serious Injury</strong>
</p><p>
  <span>Dear members of the Silver Elite:</span>
</p><p>
  <span>We have received reports that Sephiroth got injured recently. Fear not, because it appears to have been a minor injury. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>We welcome any eye witness accounts as to what happened.</span>
</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>
  <strong>Subject: Silver Mentee</strong>
</p><p>
  <span>Dear members of the Silver Elite:</span>
</p><p>
  <span>We have received reports within SOLDIER that Sephiroth is now a mentor! Some members have seen him with a cute Third in the Sector 8 mall. This unknown Third seems to be quite shy and awkward. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>We have also heard that a press release is pending, set to reveal the identity of our Silver Mentee. Keep your eyes open!</span>
</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>
  <strong>Subject: Silver Mentee Trouble</strong>
</p><p>
  <span>Dear members of the Silver Elite:</span>
</p><p>
  <span>We have received reports within SOLDIER that Sephiroth has had issues with his mentee. We’ve heard the story that our mysterious Silver Mentee stole a Second’s ID card to sneak into the VR Training Room and had to be escorted out by SOLDIER First Class Angeal Hewley.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It appears that Sephiroth has quite a troublemaking trainee!</span>
</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>
  <strong>Subject: Silver Mentee: Ami Anderson</strong>
</p><p>
  <span>Dear members of the Silver Elite:</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Following last week’s press conference, we have decided to share what we know of the mysterious Silver Mentee: SOLDIER Third Class Ami Anderson!</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She was the “cute Third” seen in Sephiroth’s presence as they spent time in the Sector 8 mall.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She has been seen riding her own motorcycle alongside her mentor.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>We believe she actually lives with Sephiroth, Genesis, and Angeal.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She is the second SOLDIER ever to get a “perfect” score in the SOLDIER entrance exams, following in her mentors footsteps.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She also opted out of the sword fighting test by having a match with SOLDIER Second Class Zack Fair where she almost injured him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>We believe that she is worth watching closely, which won’t be hard since she’s hardly ever not in Sephiroth’s presence.</span>
</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>
  <strong>Subject: Deployment to Wutai</strong>
</p><p>
  <span>Dear members of the Silver Elite:</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It appears that our Silver Duo are going to be deployed to Wutai. We wish them success in their missions! We hope to hear stories of their heroism soon.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>To tide you over, we have decided to share a piece of trivia: it appears that Ami has an unfamiliar device which she uses to listen to music. Whenever she is seen relaxing, she could be found rocking out with some earbuds. It appears that she’s quite an audiophile!</span>
</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>
  <strong>Subject: Silver Braids Courtesy of the Silver Mentee!</strong>
</p><p>
  <span>Dear members of the Silver Elite:</span>
</p><p>
  <span>We’ve been contacted by the Silver Mentee herself! She shared the following image with the statement “look at my handiwork! ~ Ami (Silver Mentee)”. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>(Image of Sephiroth walking away, silver hair in a single braid falling down his back)</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The fact that she referred to herself with our nickname for her is evidence that she’s one of our members! We would love to learn more about you! </span>
</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>
  <strong>Subject: Silver Mentee Questionnaire Answers!</strong>
</p><p>
  <span>Dear members of the Silver Elite:</span>
</p><p>
  <span>In this update, we present our Silver Mentee’s answers to a questionnaire we sent her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Age: 22</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Birthdate: 5/16 </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Family: None, parents deceased when she was 16.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hobbies: Reading novels, studying tactics and combat history, listening to music, some video games (favorite genres: role-playing and strategy), riding and maintaining her motorcycle</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Thank you for your answers! We wish you and your mentor the best!</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0030"><h2>30. Time Passes and a Mission Gone Wrong</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Time passes as it always does, moments stand out in the monotony. Ami and Sephiroth go on their first mission of the war together and Ami makes a stand.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Disclaimer: I don’t own squat except for Ami. I’m just playing in Square-Enix’s sandbox, yo. Also, I need feedback and lots of since I know I’m not perfect and if things don’t mesh or match up, I’d like to know how to fix it. Anyways, on with the story!</p><p>Trigger Warning: Violence, murder, very vague reference to rape, war</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Chapter Twenty-Seven</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ami had to take another deep breath as she stared at the silver curtain that was within her reach as her hands shook. She was very thankful that Sephiroth was willing to wait until she’d had her morning coffee before she undertook this task. Her inner fangirl screeched about having the honor to touch the holy grail as she tried to fight back the excited haze from her mind as she tried to recall the process. She knew he had brushed his hair so it wasn’t a matter of dealing with any knots from the previous night, but she didn’t dare to be anything but reverent for that which was just within reach. Mostly because of Masamune. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Right, step one. Part the hair in three very equal portions. She took another deep breath, insisting that her hands would stop shaking already. She popped her knuckles by interlacing her fingers as a self-soothing behavior. She could do this. She will. Her mentor had given her this task, even if she had accidentally volunteered by way of trying to politely wriggle out from it. She grabbed the comb and carefully worked towards parting his hair equally, going to great lengths to not cause him even the slightest bit of discomfort as she tried not to die on the spot.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His hair was so silky and smooth and soft that she couldn’t help but to marvel at it. She swore her inner fangirl died, having collapsed with a wispy spirit rising from near the head, crying rivers of tears while having a wide grin on her face. She couldn’t believe that she’d somehow got torn from her world and landed in this one, somehow became Sephiroth’s mentee, and was now braiding the man’s hair. It all felt so surreal that she had to wonder if she’d somehow died, managed to curry some sort of favor with some sort of higher power and got sent to her own nerdy little paradise. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She frowned at the parts she’d made, noticing that the portions weren’t equal and carefully worked to make them equal, taking a moment to see what he was doing while she was working. She saw the thick laptop they’d been assigned set up on the table in front of him. To be fair, she wasn’t surprised that he’d take the opportunity to catch up on his paperwork while she was working on his hair. He likely figured that it was going to take a bit considering just how much hair there was to braid.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She took another deep breath as she moved her attention back to his hair, seeing that the portions were perfectly equal. She set down the comb and gently took the two outer portions in each of her hands and carefully started to weave the portions in the old, familiar way she remembered doing with her friends’ hair, years ago. She pushed back the old pains, this was something new. This was freaking Sephiroth. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She paused as the braid just reached his shoulders and frowned. The braid looked far too loose and she carefully undone her work, careful to keep the portions perfectly equal. She took a deep breath, resolving herself to weave a tighter braid. After the fourth weave, she heard him sigh and stopped.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Was I doing it too tightly, sir?” she asked, realizing that she’d squeaked the words out in a panic.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s fine,” his deep voice almost rumbled with something she swore was amusement.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She continued to weave the three portions, noticing that the tension of the weave was all over the place. She’d gotten halfway through and it looked like she had to undo at least half of her progress. Sighing, she undone the weave until she reached where the tension had been uniform and matched the original tension as she continued.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sephiroth knew that he’d managed to hide his amusement from her, which wasn’t exactly hard with how much she was single mindedly focusing on her task. He’d known that she’d be exceedingly careful, which was the main reason he’d taken her up on her very awkward offer. But she was practically treating this almost like it was some kind of religious experience. The whole thing had him amused as he worked on paperwork while sipping his coffee. Allowing someone else to touch his hair wasn’t exactly something he’d been comfortable with, yet it was different with Ami. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He simply believed that it was because he knew and trusted her enough to allow her to work with his hair. If she could make his hair a bit more practical in their current situation, it was worth any discomfort he felt. Although, with how respectful and almost reverent she was being, he barely felt any discomfort outside of when she’d started her second attempt at weaving his hair. It wasn’t painful, just feeling an unfamiliar tug and she’d sounded practically terrified at the idea of causing him pain. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“May I ask you a personal question, Ami? As friends?” he asked verbally, hoping that it wouldn’t be as distracting for her as him using their mental connection. She uttered a questioning hum, clearly focusing on her task. “What are your reasons for being so careful? I somehow doubt it’s entirely because of who I am.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She paused, continuing her weaving before she paused in her task. He heard her let out a deep breath. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“People used to pull my hair up until I was adopted,” she said quietly, “sometimes tearing hair out by the handful. Such things were cleverly hidden so as to avoid notice, or explained away as self-inflicted. Because of that, I… I’m more likely to trust others with my life long before I’d trust them with the honor of touching my hair.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A part of him was glad that she was free from her world, away from such cruelty. Although, she had a different cruelty to deal with here, in this world. But he knew he’d limit the amount she would have to face, if it were within his power.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I appreciate your care and focus,” he said as he could feel that she was undoing some of her progress once again, “although, I have to admit that it’s growing tedious with how often you’re undoing your task.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I want it to be perfect, sir,” she stated in a slightly distracted manner.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“As long as it’s done neatly so as to not cause knots and is practical, I would consider it done,” he stated, deciding to clarify her objective or he feared they would not leave the tent at all that day.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Understood, sir,” she responded with a sigh as she went back to weaving his hair, “do you still want me to secure the braid or allow it to fall, sir?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Perhaps allow it to fall today. You’ve spent too much time this morning as it is.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As happy as she was to have the closest thing to a religious experience she’d ever had so far in her life, Ami’s mood came crashing down the moment she and Sephiroth had left their tent. She followed in his wake, hoping that the sight of her mentor would terrify enough to keep them at bay, but had questionable success as she continued to face sexual harassment. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Things from there fell into a routine - Sephiroth would wake her up with a cup of coffee from the mess, making sure that there was enough time for her to braid his hair and do her Tai Chi routine before weathering the storm of sexual harassment that not even Sephiroth’s mere presence couldn’t protect her from as they’d go have breakfast in the mess, then they usually went to meetings concerning placement and battlefield operations of other SOLDIER operatives scattered throughout Wutai, ensuring that their operations were seamless with the Infantry divisions and camps. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She’d paid rapt attention to these meetings, staring at the maps and troop movements, only offering ideas and concerns to her mentor through their telepathic bond, not wanting the attention or reaction that a woman of all things would know a lick about tactics. Sometimes, it was already things Sephiroth had already thought of and hadn’t shared. Very rarely, it was something that hadn’t occurred to him. Either way, she always got a positive response from him for sharing her thoughts, concerns, and questions. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The meetings usually ran until it was time for lunch at the mess, which meant more sexual harassment. And more stares and comments as the two of them ate together in physical silence. They’d agreed to keep their conversations to their mental connection so that their mouths could focus on shoveling the “food” down their throats. And each day, she missed Angeal’s cooking more, to which she found Sephiroth agreeing. Sephiroth had let slip once that even the “food” served in the mess was better than what Hojo had fed him in the labs. She knew that it was intended to placate her opinion of the mess but it just made her feel worse about his past.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After lunch was when they’d train, usually working on getting the sword drills ingrained in her muscle memory as well as sparring until her arms were as limp as overcooked spaghetti. Then, they’d return to their tent so he could work on paperwork and she was free to do as she pleased as long as she stayed in the tent and didn’t unduly disturb him. She wound up devoting the time to read through some textbooks she’d obtained in Junon on the topic of psychology. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She’d been thankful that her adoptive father had insisted that she’d go through a program where she’d spend the last two years of her high school experience doing a half day at the school and half day at the community college for a general degree. One of the classes she’d taken was a basic Psychology course so she had the basics, enough to know that Gaia was actually a bit behind Earth where it came to the field in some aspects and a lot further ahead in others. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After their unstructured free time, it was time for them to have dinner, followed by another block of similar time until Sephiroth declared that it was time for them to prepare for sleep. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The only things which seemed to change on a daily basis were the nightmares. Some nights, they slept peacefully. Some nights, one of them would detect that the other was having a nightmare and wake up before diving into the other’s nightmare and bring it to an end. Only a couple times did they both have a nightmare at the same time. And the subject matter of the nightmares had even started to get monotonous. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ami found her nightmares to either involve her childhood, her losing her first set of friends, her losing her current friends, Seph dismissing and/or abandoning her, and a small village on fire with a man with silver hair and clad in black leather dramatically turning to face her with a smug smile on his face and disappearing into the flames before Seph could arrive. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She found Seph’s nightmares exceedingly easier to deal with because she was allowed to kill Hojo in whatever manner she so chose. She was starting to wonder if the methods she was starting to use on that thing were starting to bother the guy. But not all of his nightmares involved Hojo and some stuffy lab. She knew that a growing majority was entirely constructed by the other Sephiroth. The one who taunted her that there were things she couldn’t change, that she would fail to save everyone.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The idiot clearly didn’t know that by telling her that she couldn’t do something was the best way to ensure that she would. He clearly didn’t know how contrary and full of spite she really was. As far as she cared, it was his own damn fault.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Lather. Rinse. Repeat.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was another clear night and Ami wasn’t going to let it go to waste as she laid out on the ground before laying down on it to gaze at the stars. She was rather amused that the last time she’d done so, Sephiroth practically invited her to braid his hair. Without asking permission, she heard him settle on the ground nearby, this time a tiny bit closer. They just laid there for a while in silence. No speaking, no telepathic messages. Just silence. It was a comfortable silence, one that didn’t demand to be broken but one that was comfortable. She could hear the night insects buzz and the sounds of some wildlife. Was that an owl? She knew that with the changing of the leaves, this was likely going to be one of the last times she’d have this opportunity until spring.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I think I know why I wouldn’t go back to where I was from,” she said, shattering the companionable silence that had existed so peacefully. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She could practically hear his eyebrows raise in one of his minute movements which told her that he was curious.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s because if I go back, I’ll be alone again,” she said quietly, “I’ve always been… isolated. Too different. For a while, I was even considered too dangerous for me to be around other students. I was… going through a massive shift at the time. New family, new school, and no longer having my body rented out against my will. But now? I haven’t felt alone, secluded, or isolated. Not since that time in the lab.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And neither have I,” he said, staring up at the sky before looking at her, his mako altered cyan cat eyes glowing in the darkness shining.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And that’s nice, isn’t it?” she asked, looking over at him with a smile. She saw him give her a slight nod.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I hope it lasts forever,” he said before turning his head to look up at the sky, “but a part of me doubts.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Why’s that?” she asked, knowing that she was likely going to have some of her less pleasant ideas about him confirmed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“As you’ve likely been able to put together by now, I was raised in a lab. There were other children there, around my age and I was allowed to interact with them, to socialize. Most weren’t receptive to the idea,” he said quietly, “and every day, a few more went missing. I enquired about the missing children and all I was allowed to know was that they were failures and that I should feel fortunate that I was a success so far. Eventually, it was just me. Alone.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She knew that he was raised in a lab, or well, inferred as much. But that… she hadn’t expected it but wasn’t surprised. What she did feel was saddened for just how much that had to have hurt. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’d been happy around the other children. It was the only time that I excitedly anticipated. Since then, I’ve always expected happy things… good things… to never last. That it will be taken away from me or ended far too soon. And I… I don’t want this to end. I don’t want you taken away from me.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Her heart was practically breaking over him. He was bearing some very painful things to her, an act that told her that he trusted her. That he was willing to reveal things to her that he wouldn’t for anyone else, save Angeal and Genesis. It made her feel something she had no word for. But she knew that she would treasure this moment.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She scooted just close enough that she could grasp his right hand in her left, wanting to give him some modicum of reassurance. She looked over at him, seeing the light of the half illuminated moonlight illuminate his skin as the corners of his mouth hitched upwards a tiny bit. She felt his gloved hand intertwine with her bare hand and the moment felt perfect.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I know the feeling,” she said, still looking over at him, “but this… it will last. I’ll make sure of it. I won’t let myself be taken away from you. Even if the Lifestream takes me, I’ll find a way to claw my way out. And if Hojo thinks he could lock me up somewhere and put me in a medically induced coma… I’ll find a way to break through and break out. We’ve lived far too long alone, Seph.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She saw him actually smile, his eyes brightening with the smile before he said, “that’s the first time you’ve used that nickname of mine.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sorry,” she said, “I know that everyone else did and--”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s okay,” he said, interrupting her as he gave her hand a slight squeeze, “I don’t mind you using it in private or with our friends. I was merely verbally calling notice to it. I was under the impression that when someone uses your nickname for the first time, it’s a special occasion.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She gave him a nod in understanding. He really was too sweet. And too kind. Deep down, she vowed that there wasn’t anything on Gaia she wouldn’t do to keep him like this. To keep him so sweet, so kind. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They fell into another long, companionable silence. She didn’t mind turning her attention to the stars and the hand in her hand. The moment just felt perfect and she wished she could live her whole life trapped in that moment. A strange emotion fluttered within her as she cherished the moment, drawing her curiosity. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span><em>‘What is it that I feel?’</em> she wondered.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It wasn’t anger - no, this emotion was much more calm than that. It was similar to contentment but there was something that was somehow different. Like contentment was a piece of it. She’d felt it several times before, but that was back when she was a teenager. That realization made her chest painfully tighten. If she felt this back then and it had ended horribly, would this end just as horribly?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span><em>‘Breathe,’</em> she felt his mind touch hers, clearly trying to soothe her anxieties as she’d done with him as she felt his hand gently squeeze hers.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She hadn’t realized that she’d started to hyperventilate. She fought against her anxiety, taking deep breaths.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sorry,” she said quietly, “I just…” She chuckled at how surreal it was, all that had happened this far and she’d had a bit of an anxiety attack over her emotions as she ran her free hand through her still far too short hair. “...the last time I felt this emotion… was five years ago.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“... and you were fearful that something would befall me.” he said, not asked, just outright stated before he too chuckled. “Need I use the words you gave me?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Only if you mean them and you think they’ll help,” she said, feeling the smile on her face.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was the first smile she had which wasn’t something she forced, something she put on her face because it made everyone comfortable. Because she’d been told that her neutral expression was a slight frown and had caused far too many people to tell her to smile. No, this one was one she had to wrestle with to keep it from getting too big, too silly. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I would mean them. However, I believe it’s best that I hold them until using them carries as much weight with you as they do me.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Just the fact that her words had affected him and soothed him that much brought the same emotion up. This time, she didn’t allow the anxiety to come flooding in. Not when she knew that he felt the same. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span><em>‘...You’re curious and confused over an emotion…?’</em> she heard his voice echo in her head as if he spoke.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Yeah. It’s what tripped my anxiety… I remembered the last time I felt it… but I don’t have a word for it.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span><em>‘This is quite the remarkable night, then. Not only have you become comfortable enough with me to use the shortened form of my name and then we each chased each other’s anxieties away, but you’ve encountered an emotion you can’t name but I can.’</em> the mental voice paused to let out an oddly amused and affectionate chuckle, <em>‘will tonight’s wonders ever cease?’</em></span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She couldn’t pry anything from him that night, but she didn’t mind. She’d found herself completely comfortable in the clearing next to her mentor. One of the few, cherished happy moments in the torturous hell that her life had become.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>One night, she merely laid on her back, staring up at the ceiling of the tent. From where she laid, she could hear him breathe, also obviously not asleep. She let out a sigh, knowing that she was beyond tears. She’d cried them all out over the many, many nights in the tent. She wondered if she were breaking under all the tortures and stresses.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span><em>‘Would you feel better if I hugged you?’</em> he asked, his deep voice echoing in her head as she picked up his concern. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span><em>‘Is that an invitation?’</em> she asked, not bothering to call him ‘sir’. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She’d stopped calling him that mentally ages ago. She either just didn’t refer to him or used his shortened name. He hadn’t gotten annoyed by that, to her surprise considering the push-up incident. She was willing to believe it was more the fact that she’d snapped at him than anything. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span><em>‘Yes,’</em> he responded.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She didn’t hesitate, merely wrapped her blanket around her and practically threw herself across the tent before carefully settling next to him on the cot. After a lot of failed positions and him practically carrying her around, they finally settled where he was laying on his back and she was curled up against his side so that the only parts of her on him were her head on his shoulder with a bit of blanket for padding, an arm draped across the blanket on his chest, and her lower leg draped over his knee. She really wasn’t touching him since he had his blanket on top of him and she’d turned herself into a burrito in her own wool blanket. She felt his arm wrap around her, resting on top of her blanket as she snuggled in.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She’d apparently needed it because she swore she’d just closed her eyes and the next thing she knew, she was waking up because he was prying her off of him gently.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Good morning,” he said, sounding a little groggy.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Can’t be morning already.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Even I’m not strong enough to keep Gaia from turning.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Too early for humor,” she mumbled as he fully extricated himself from under her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ll be back with coffee then.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She merely hummed back.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When he arrived at the mess, Sephiroth couldn’t help but to frown as deeply as he’d allowed himself simply because the person in front of him in the coffee line had the last of the pot and he had to wait for more to be brewed. He found his mood darkening when he pulled out his PHS and saw a message from Lazard. They were being given an assignment. It was going to be Ami’s first real taste of combat and war. Inwardly, he almost despaired simply because she was going through enough just being in camp with all the so-called men who couldn’t keep their hands to themselves. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They were to overtake a fort and the helicopter to take them to the insertion point would arrive in little more than an hour. All he could do was work over the intel concerning the fort and inform Ami as to their strategy. And allow a small part of him to hope that she’ll do well. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span><em>‘We could have just knocked,’</em> Ami commented over the mental link as she watched Seph cut through a whole section of the fort’s exterior wall.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span><em>‘Focus,’</em> she heard her mentor comment as he walked in with her right behind him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span><em>‘I am,’</em> she responded defensively as she made her way through the near perfect square hole he’d made.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘No, you’re commenting. You’re as bad as Zack is.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She merely rolled her eyebrows as she flung a Fira at some mook standing on top of a nearby wall, clearly about to jump on them. The mook was flung back and landed on the other side of the wall with a crack. Her movement and attack had happened far too fast for the unenhanced mook to react to. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span><em>‘Still think I’m not focusing, boss?’</em> she mentally commented at Seph.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span><em>‘Not as much as I’d like, considering that this is your first mission,’</em> he stated as a group of mooks decided that it was a good idea to blindly charge at the source of the fireball without looking at who they were charging to.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She moved to join Seph, but saw a part of the wall turn, revealing a hidden door as more mooks charged at her. Since she was capable of moving faster than they could and they were bunched up, she decided to slightly overcharge her Fira materia, deciding to create a big enough blast to hit the whole group, or at least incinerate the middle of the group and singe the rest. She jumped back to create more space before letting the energy go. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Ami, that was dangerous. We’ve barely covered overcharging.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span><em>‘But it worked,’</em> she responded as she saw the charred bodies disappear in a green glow.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Do I need to revoke your attack materia privileges?’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Would you really?’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘There is nothing I wouldn’t do to save you from yourself. I find myself realizing what Angeal had to have gone through during the early stages of training Zack.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>For the most part, the rest of the mission went along the lines of Seph cutting down walls and Ami being mostly his backup, throwing Fira at enemies. At least until they reached the last section before the central courtyard area. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Mooks appeared from the woodwork, surrounding her and Seph. Seph sent her what the plan was and she smirked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“If you want to live, I suggest you either surrender or escape,” Seph stated, his usual pre-combat warning sounding tired even to her ears since she’d heard his warning every time they’d encountered any enemies who gave him a chance to speak.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As always, they’d rather throw away their lives as they rushed the two - teacher and student. Within a matter of moments, the two of them were the only ones standing as bodies started to be claimed by the lifestream. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And then they reached the central courtyard. There were tents everywhere and all Ami could see were women and children. A party of pre-teens charged at them with knives. She watched as Seph let out what she knew was the closest to a tired sigh he’d ever allow himself to have before she saw a flicker of movement from Masamune. The pre-teens dropped their knives, clutching their wrists. She couldn’t even see blood. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span><em>‘I used the flat side on their wrists to disarm them,’</em> he explained over the mental connection as the pre-teens ran to their mothers and sisters and siblings.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘What do we do now?’ </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘The only thing we can do. They will be… processed by the Infantry. The children will be housed in Company controlled villages.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No,” Ami stated, swapping out some of her materia, thankful that she was friends with Firsts who had no issue with sharing their freshly budded extras.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ami, I don’t like it either, but that’s standard operating procedure and our orders,” he stated, going so far as to put a hand on one of her shoulder guards.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry, sir,” she said, stepping out of her reach before overcharging one of her materia until she swore she could feel it crack before flinging the energy and the overcharged materia over the wall to her left.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The explosion took out two of the walls and damaged the exterior wall. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“This fort has been claimed by Shinra! If you want to escape whatever hells are waiting for you, do so now!” Ami shouted before running towards the damaged exterior wall.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Before she could act, Seph appeared in front of her and the whole damaged section fell away. He turned to her, Masamune in hand. He made a motion for her to follow before striding through the hole he’d created. She followed, seeing what looked to be a stable of chocobo.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That should help them get out of here,” Ami stated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“If they remain when the Infantry arrives, they will become dinner,” Seph stated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She was aware when the crowd had reached them, their expressions revealing just how thankful they were that they were allowed escape. That they weren’t going to be tortured and mistreated by the Shinra Infantry. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Everyone get on a chocobo! Get the hell out of here!” she shouted.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There was a mad dash for the chocobos and within a handful of minutes, they were alone.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You are aware that we face punishment for this,” Seph stated, his voice neutral.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s better to be punished for doing the right thing than live in regret doing the wrong thing,” she responded, “besides, I didn’t remember asking you for help.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You didn’t,” he said easily, “I wasn’t going to let you walk into that kind of trouble alone. We should head back to the extraction point. We can limit the damage if we can get a mission report to Lazard while the Infantry are securing the fort.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : : .</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Author’s Note: 2/15/21</p><p>So this is a very disjointed chapter because I wanted to focus on the passage of time. At the end of the chapter, they’ve been stationed in the camp for about a month (late August to late September). </p><p>Also, I edited the post-VR Room fight so Ami didn’t call him by his shortened name because I wanted that to mean more than just a throw away thing. </p><p>I feel amused that I put so much focus on the first time Ami braids Seph’s hair because she’s just having a massive fangirl moment. Even her inner fangirl died from the experience, lol. And of course, she wants it to be completely perfect and Seph’s idea of it being successful is that his hair isn’t a mess afterward, she’s not pulling his hair out, and it’s practical. He’s got much lower requirements than Ami does, lol. </p><p>The second stargazing scene is another I’d already had written. I thought it was a really adorable scene that shows just how comfortable those two have become. Also explains why he had that kind of reaction in the nightmare which happened in the Mt. Nibel reactor. Also this is the scene that really cements her desire to keep him sane.</p><p>Also, Ami is exceedingly cuddly with people she cares about and feels comfortable with. She’s just awkward about it entirely because there’s a bit of a cultural/social thing where people are a bit weirded out about platonic cuddles. She’s never seen the guys have a platonic cuddle session when she was in Midgar. When she does, she would definitely ask if she could join in. I just can’t help but to see the guys as being the sorts to platonically cuddle their friends. Especially Zack. </p><p>Random BtV Trivia: I have named the arcs in the first era of BtV and have figured out the length of time each encompass (for the most part):<br/>Wutai/War: 6 months, Peacetime/Avalanche: 11 months, Escape: 7-8 months, Intermission: 3-5 years.<br/>The second era is just one big arc I think. </p><p>Laters!<br/>~Gregora</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0031"><h2>31. Everyone's Bad Day</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Ami and Sephiroth go on their second mission. Things go downhill fast.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Disclaimer: I don’t own squat except for Ami. I’m just playing in Square-Enix’s sandbox, yo. Also, I need feedback and lots of since I know I’m not perfect and if things don’t mesh or match up, I’d like to know how to fix it. Anyways, on with the story!</p><p>Trigger Warning: Blood, Death, Gore, more blood, injury, self-loathing, grief</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Chapter Twenty-Eight</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Director Lazard had to look at the personal email Sephiroth sent him over a month ago several times before he could make a decision. He knew that someone’s career was going to take a nosedive, his decision merely was whose. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Either he was going to sweep the whole thing under the rug and ensure that his boss, Director Heidegger, didn’t know the truth and run the risk of his career being destroyed followed by the mentor and mentee who’d actually did the right thing and prevented lives from being destroyed. Or he was going to throw either his second in command who deserved to be the Director of SOLDIER rather than him and/or said man’s mentee to the wolves. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was enough to give him a headache. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>If he hadn’t been kept as SOLDIER’s Director and actually got the promotions he knew he deserved, he’d have more of a chance to protect the people who had acted with actual morals. Sometimes, he wished he could drink on the job, especially on days like this when he was reminded once again that the company didn’t care about morals, it only cared about results. Or keeping its Directors happy, whichever one happened to be more profitable at the time.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>For all intents and purposes, he wasn’t even the Director SOLDIER needed. That fell squarely on Sephiroth. And he’d done so much for the man who never asked for a single thing until recently. When he wanted to test his forced recruit mentee to see if she was worth it. At least that had been the official reason. He knew the unofficial reason - he wanted to welcome her to SOLDIER in the time-honored tradition that all fresh Thirds went through. And it had been rather minor too, only requiring a phone call each to Hojo and Heidegger. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But this was more than a cute prank.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>This was going to screw two very good people over, no matter what he did. The only choice was over whether he wanted to screw himself over too. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He took another look at the email he knew Sephiroth sent him on the boat to Wutai, thanking him for forcing him to make friends. He let out a sigh and adjusted his glasses. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He swore he was going to make a deal with a devil, but he knew that it would be entirely worth it. Especially if it saved his second in command. Good men like him were rare to the point that once one finds such a man, it was easier to hang on to rather than find a replacement.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s too late to be having second thoughts, Ami,” she heard Seph say with his face practically attached to the laptop screen as she paced around the tent.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Who said I was having second thoughts, sir?” she asked lightly as she continued to pace.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“The fact that if you keep it up, we’ll have to replace the tent’s footprint,” he stated before adding over their shared connection, ‘and I can feel your nervous energy and I’m finding it a nuisance.’</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You can dock it from my pay, sir,” she stated before responding, ‘I’m just really uncertain. This could actually end with us getting court martialed, sir. Then what? Both of us get kept in Hojo’s lab?’</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She stopped as she felt Seph’s wordless reaction to the very idea she’d sent him. It was an immediate, unthinking response that wasn’t what she expected. It was an emotion that she had gotten quite familiar with when it came to her newest friends. But she was uncertain if it was entirely an emotion since it was also a drive, a desire. She knew that he had a protective streak, but this was a stronger protective emotion than she’d ever felt from him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>‘I would never allow that to come to pass. I would sooner kill Hojo than let you suffer at his hands like I have,’ he practically growled in her head, ‘you need not fear that possibility because it isn’t one.’</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There was something reassuring about his reaction which calmed her fears. And yet, he continued to work on his paperwork, seemingly undisturbed. It was just something that was just completely him, to have an emotional conversation over their connection while he was just… him, working on paperwork and who knows what else. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>‘Thank you for reassuring me,’ she sent back before something occurred to her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She’d almost forgot about Hojo. She’d almost forgot what Hojo wanted. And in over a month, they’d started chasing off each other’s nightmares, had very intimate chats under starlight, and over the last week, she’d practically slept on top of Sephiroth. She collapsed on top of her cot with the realization that they’d gotten too close, too comfortable. She rolled in her cot, partially to wrap the blanket around her and partially so she wouldn’t look at him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t want this to end. I don’t want you taken away from me,” she remembered him saying a week or two ago.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>At least she thought it was upwards of two weeks. Time really was starting to run together. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She heard him move before she felt an uncertain hand rest between her shoulder blades. There was simply no pressure, just the weight of the hand resting there. She understood that he was doing his best to reassure her, to comfort her. And all it did was make her feel worse. She hadn’t realized that she’d started to silently weep until she felt her pillow become damp.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span><em>‘What’s wrong?’</em> he asked over the connection, his words uncertain and awkward, full of wanting to comfort but not knowing how.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span><em>‘Everything.’</em> she responded, trying to pull as much back from the connection without breaking it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘I believe that was a given, all things considered.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘We’ve gotten too close, sir. We can’t allow it to happen.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Yes, I’ve been aware of this for a while now. We are victims of our natures and psychology. When in a hostile environment, it’s expected to be drawn to those who are friendly. To be drawn to comfort. To be drawn to be comforting. We’ve sought and offer comfort within each other. There’s nothing wrong with that.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Normally, I’d agree with you. But there’s Hojo. Always Hojo.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There was a wave of emotion that hit her with the force of a tsunami as she felt his hand move to her side and then under her, arm wrapping across her abdomen before she felt her being pulled backwards, her back being pressed against what she knew was his chest as his other arm wrapped across her shoulders in a tight embrace.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘I would rather die than let him take you away. He’s taken enough from me already. Enough.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She blinked as she realized that he was being possessive. Honestly, that made sense. He probably wasn’t even allowed any possessions save Masamune until he’d joined SOLDIER. Same with any source of comfort. He’d grown up stewed in discomfort and outright torture. Him being possessive was almost to be expected. And with what she heard, it made sense for him to have an issue with abandonment. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But what puzzled her was that when people got possessive, there was usually something else about it, as far as she’d come to understand. Most stories that she was familiar with which involved a character being possessive towards another included more than just feeling possessive. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But it was also weird because it wasn’t the same kind of possessiveness she knew of. It wasn’t a controlling kind of possessiveness. It wasn’t one which demanded anything of her. Just the kind which sounded more like a child holding their favorite stuffy and screaming ‘mine!’ </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘...Am I a prized stuffy to you, Seph?’ she sent at him curiously, adding in the nuance and details for him to understand.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span><em>‘I definitely prize you,’</em> came the amused response as silence stretched on.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She could practically hear his brain work, gears turning, keys tapping out queries. Little sparking sounds of thoughts. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span><em>‘And you are a source of comfort to me. Like what you refer to as a ‘stuffy’,’</em> he responded quietly,<em> ‘I think I might be treating you as one. My apologies. I meant no insult.’</em></span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Just as quickly as the clinging embrace had happened, she was just as quickly and very carefully returned to her position on her cot. She heard him move back to the chair he’d been sitting at and almost immediately heard him typing away on the laptop, working. Something about that hit her as important. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He’d stepped away from working himself to death just to offer her comfort.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span><em>‘I don’t feel insulted,’</em> she sent back, <em>‘more amused. I think we’re both kind of using each other as stuffies. As sources of comfort. We willingly are clinging to each other like ships in a storm. I know all I ever need to do is tell you to stop if I were uncomfortable and I know you’d do the same. It’s just… if we allow ourselves to grow any closer…’</em></span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span><em>‘We both know that Hojo never takes ‘no’ for an answer,’</em> he stated in her head, his words calm but edged with something, <em>‘even if we don’t do anything, he’s got everything he needs to ensure that he gets what he wants. Our options are limited and we still have time to consider them. But not right now. Just know that you’re not alone in this.’</em></span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She smiled at that small bit of reassurance at the end, even if he was using his serious, clinical tone. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She sensed Seph’s mood change as she heard him hum. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I just got a message from Director Lazard,” he stated, “concerning our last mission.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I hope it’s good news,” she said, hoping that it was the case.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Another hum before he said, “it appears that we will be facing some disciplinary action, the fact that we still succeeded in taking over the fort still made the mission be labeled successful. We’ve also been given another mission, in two days’ time.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Least Director Lazard managed to give us more time to prepare.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It </span>
  <strong>
    <em>was</em>
  </strong>
  <span> supposed to be an easy mission.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> She reminded herself </span>
  <span>as she tried to avoid getting zapped. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was </span>
  <strong>
    <em>supposed</em>
  </strong>
  <span> to be an easy mission.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She despaired </span>
  <span>as she tried to remain standing despite her nerves alighting in pain, </span>
  <span>her muscles flexing. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was supposed to be an </span>
  <strong>
    <em>easy mission</em>
  </strong>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She internally screamed </span>
  <span>as her body hadn’t even fallen when she took some sort of spell to her left leg </span>
  <span>and she swore she heard a crunch.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It </span>
  <strong>
    <em>was supposed</em>
  </strong>
  <span> to be an </span>
  <strong>
    <em>easy mission</em>
  </strong>
  <span>. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She inwardly cried </span>
  <span>as she felt an arm wrap around her madly thrashing and injured body.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He should have left her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He didn’t.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She wasn’t aware of much more outside of the pain and muscle spasms, and being carried. She was dimly aware that her weight was focused on an area on her trunk, likely because she was being carried over a shoulder like a sack of potatoes. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He was being weighed down, restricted by her weight on his shoulder.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He didn’t seem to care.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>By the time she was more aware, but still in so much pain, he paused and set her down. She looked around, seeing that it was a small cave. He looked down at her for a moment.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span><em>‘I’ll return for you. I’m going to draw them off. Just in case…’</em> his mental statement trailed off as he placed the flare gun on her lap, the only method they had to signal that they were ready for extraction once they’d reached the extraction point.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘You </span>
    <strong>are</strong>
    <span> coming back, Seph.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She felt his hand go to her head. In the nearly two months since her daring escape from the labs, she’d manage to grow out a good inch of unruly, loose curls which she knew would later become loose spiraling curls and after that, waves that ended in said loose spiraling curls. He ran his hand gently through the curls once before pulling back.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Best to be prepared, just in case. I’ll keep the connection open.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She saw him move foliage back in place and then he was gone. She could sense the direction he was heading, going right for the crowd of enemies who had managed to nearly ambush them. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘If I don’t return by the time your leg is healed, head for the extraction point.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She didn’t have a remark. Her mind was all over the place. Everything was just so overwhelming. Fear for Seph fought against her anger that she’d managed to get injured. Exhaustion, likely from getting hit by what she was willing to bet was a high level lightning spell, wanted to pull her into the darkness of rest. But she refused. She was still deep in enemy territory and she didn’t know how many enemies were in the area, how many had managed to follow Seph when he’d stowed her and knew her hidey hole.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She clutched at the connection, feeling his calm certainty and focus. Even he believed that he was going to return. He was nearly at the edge of their range, still calm and focused. She knew that he would fight tooth and nail to protect her, something that she appreciated just as much as she absolutely loathed. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“My, my. You seem to have gotten into a bit of a scrape,” a familiar voice purred next to her ear.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“When it rains, it pours,” she muttered before asking, “what do you want?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Is that how you speak to those who are superior to your pathetic existence?” he asked, a vague threatening tone added to those slithering words which ran a chill down her back.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Who deemed whose existences are superior or inferior?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She saw him glare at her and she couldn’t resist the urge to grin. She knew that being a royal pain in the ass was definitely not conducive to long term survival, but neither was gaining his attention. If she was going to suffer at his hand, she may as well make him suffer too. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Mother has deemed all who are not her children to be inferior,” he stated, his words still slithering things which left her unsettled, “however, she allows all to enter her embrace if they wish to become her children.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And there it goes.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Where what goes?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Any lingering smidge of fear I had for you. It’s really, really hard for me to fear proselytizers when I think they’re all ignorant idiots.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She heard him scoff before he spoke, “I have no idea what he sees in you. You’re not particularly bright. Not even nearly strong enough to be more than an irritant. And yet, he’s smitten with you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Only you would see friendship and think he’s smitten,” she commented.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She knew it meant really, really bad things when he grinned smugly. Really, really, bad things. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And I think you may be in denial,” he practically purred in her ear, “I have been watching your dreams and his as well.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Now I know you’re really, really ignorant concerning normal, healthy people. More than your other self. So I’ve had some wet dreams. </span>
  <b>Whoop-dee-doo</b>
  <span>. Those happen. Especially involving very pretty people who aren’t trying to kill or torture you. Sides, why do you even care?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Because if he gets more attached, you become more useful to me.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, I don’t think endangering me is going to drive him into the arms of Mommy Dearest. If anything, it’d be the most idiotic thing you could do.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Who says I’ve ever endangered you? Our lovely fight on the ship was barely even a scuffle. I’m certain that I could entice you to assist Mother and I. After all, was it not Shinra who pulled you from your world? Was it not Hojo who experimented on you? Is it not the Shinra Infantry who have made every day since you arrived here in Wutai the most miserable experience of your life? If you join us, you will be free of Shinra’s chains. You would need not fear Hojo nor of being hunted down.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, I’m gonna have to decline on the basis that you’ve been effectively torturing someone I care about and if there’s one thing I can’t ever stand, it’s people who harm those I care about.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I shall leave the offer open. It’s all a matter of time before you accept,” he practically purred into her ear.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She threw a punch at his far too perfect face. Her fist collided with rock with a crunch as she swore she heard the bastard laugh in her head. She grunted in pain as she reached out mentally. There was no open connection. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She was alone.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>For the first time in what felt like a long time, she was well and truly alone in her mind. She couldn’t even sense his mind out there. She shivered in a sudden chill. Or it might have been from being hit by the effects of a high level lightning spell. She went over her slotted materia, finding her Cura. It was going to be a long afternoon.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was getting towards sunset when Ami knew that she’d better stop with the materia and the waiting. Her hand and leg were now just dull throbs. She still hadn’t sensed Seph’s mind in the area. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She was still alone.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She told herself that it was a completely voluntary shiver and not something to do with who knows how many volts that had run through her body.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Probably enough to send a souped up Delorean to another time.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She stowed the flare gun and started to climb her way out of what looked to be a hole in some mountain somewhere. She glanced at the entrance.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The entrance wasn’t curved, but angular.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Had he cut her a hole to hide her?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She shook her head, wanting to focus. She knew Seph had told her to make for the extraction point. She also knew which direction he’d gone.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She stood up carefully, slowly putting her weight on her injured leg. Outside of feeling more pain, the leg was stable. Good enough. Pain, she could live with. After all, she deserved all the pain she felt. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Whatever pain she was given was deserved for having chosen to be born.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She could almost hear Seph’s response. She chuckled to herself, hearing him ask her if she truly believed it, was it truly her own thought or was it just something she was told to allow herself to be tortured. Or something like that. She frowned, realizing that her chuckling didn’t feel right. Wasn’t right. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She walked in the direction she knew he’d gone. She hoped that if she went in that direction, she might be able to get into his range. It was a rough walk, with her muscles still spasming. She wished that he was there to lean on.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>If he was there, they’d be heading to the extraction point.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But he wasn’t. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>This just didn’t feel right. He was supposed to be one of the strongest warriors on Gaia, if not the absolute strongest. So why wasn’t he there, why hadn’t he returned? There was no way he could have been captured. It was impossible for him to be captured. More impossible for him to be killed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She didn’t know how far she walked through the forest, nor did she know for how long she was walking. It couldn’t have been for too long since there was still light to see. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She stopped walking as she came to a ridge overlooking a small valley clearing. She expected to see more brown and green, but instead, all she saw in that slight depression was red. Everything but a pile of black and silver.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She tried to run down that slippery slope. Of all the times for her legs to spasm. She wound up sliding down the slope as if it was a slip n slide from a slasher flick. She could feel the cold liquid seep into her uniform as she sped down the slope uncontrollably. She got up, not bothering to dust herself off. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Her focus was entirely on the black and silver. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Her chest tightened.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Masamune was there, the sword standing as the blade had been shoved into the ground. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And next to it, was the black and silver. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The familiar black leather duster, arranged as if he’d been clasping Masamune before…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>No. </strong>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She’d learned thanks to having combat experience was that when someone was claimed by the Lifestream, only the body itself was taken. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span><strong>No.</strong> He wasn’t dead. <strong>No.</strong></span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She refused to believe it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And yet, she couldn’t sense him. And he wasn’t the sort to go about completely naked in a forest behind enemy lines.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The black leather duster was cut to hell.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And it was wet.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Of course it was wet. She should have expected it, considering how much blood covered the whole area. Blood and blood soaked clothing. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And in the center was this.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His silver pauldrons were mostly untouched by the blood. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She lifted up the leather duster. It was still clasped and belted as if he’d been wearing it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span><strong>No.</strong> He wasn’t dead. He wasn’t. He couldn’t be.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She reached out to touch the interior of the coat.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was cold. It had been sitting there too long to have retained any of his body heat. But it wasn’t wet.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She wasn’t aware that she was crying. She was too focused on this. She had to take in every detail, commit it to memory the best she could.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Which arm was stretched out to Masamune again?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She groaned in annoyance. She’d forgotten. It could have been important.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She shook her head.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His harness attached to his stomach guard was still stuck to the duster, likely just from all the wear. She tried to fold it up nicely. If not for all the blood and gore on her from going down the slasher flick slip n slide, she’d consider just draping it over her shoulder. It deserved far more respect than that. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>With the leather duster removed, she caught sight of something that would have made her blush and awkward if not for her current mood. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His leather pants were arranged as if he’d been on his knees when he was taken by the lifestream.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span><strong>No.</strong> He wasn’t taken by the lifestream. He was… </span>
  <b>is</b>
  <span> still alive. She refused to believe that. She refused to even acknowledge it as a possibility. He was nigh invulnerable to almost everything. A parallel version of him survived practically getting cut in half with the Buster Sword. This version of him had to be just as tough.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>What other possibility </span>
  <b>was</b>
  <span> there?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A ruse. A diversion. They could have hit him with a sleep materia, removed his clothes, and arranged it all to make it look like he was killed and claimed by the lifestream.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was the only possibility she’d ever allow.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The only possibility she’d accept.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He was alive, taken by the enemy.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Why?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Because he was the freaking Silver General? Because he was the Hero of Wutai? Because he was clearly not entirely human? Because he was the strongest SOLDIER? Because he was the First SOLDIER? There were a lot of reasons for Wutai wanting to have him. A lot of reasons to make Shinra believe that their poster boy was dead.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And it had been </span>
  <b>her fault</b>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It had been all her fault.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She shook her head and looked down at the next layer of clothing. And closed her eyes again.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>No. She had far more respect for Seph than this.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She had far more respect for Seph than to allow those mental images to materialize in her mind.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Her inner fangirl was having a fit. She stabbed her inner fangirl and flung her into the distance. None of that. She needed to be serious.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She couldn’t fall to pieces here.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She took a deep breath, the scent of blood sure to attract predators.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She had to hurry and checking out Seph’s choice of underwear was a definite violation of privacy and her respect for the guy.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But really? <em>Really?</em> That?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>No. She took another deep breath, folding up the pants without another thought, focusing her eyes on the opposite ridge. And then there were the boots and the socks in said boots. Because of course socks. At that point, it was simple. She could carry his clothes in her off hand and carry Masamune in her right.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Lazard wasn’t going to like this.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Neither would the guys back home.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Oh, the guys. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>Shit.</strong>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She typed up a very rough report to Lazard, explaining everything in as fine detail as she could, making it clear that she knew he had to be alive and it had to be a trick. She hadn’t even changed out of her uniform or taken a shower since she bolted from the helicopter. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The only thing she did before writing the report was cleaning Masamune and making sure it was polished to a mirror shine. She didn’t want to get blamed for having allowed it to gain a stain.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Seph would kill her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Seph who was still alive. He had to be.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Once the report was sent, she grabbed a clean uniform and headed to the showers.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She should have just settled for a sponge bath. It would have been easier and didn’t require her to stab a couple of men with her combat knife.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Their own damn fault. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She cried herself to sleep that night, her cleaned combat knife under her pillow.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She dreamed of Seph.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He was in pain. And so very alone.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And believed that he was going to die.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : : .</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Author’s Note: 2/16/21</p><p>I’d gotten the idea for the second half last month but I didn’t like how it turned out when I got to this part. I really enjoyed it, even if the whole bit involving her dealing with Seph’s clothing was painful. And just her thought processes. How she’s trying to compute everything while in a very emotional state. </p><p>I also figure that this chapter is going to cause a bit of a stir. </p><p>I’m not sorry.</p><p>And yes, Seph was clinging to Ami like a child and going “mine!” He’d do the same with Genesis and Angeal and maybe Zack if there were a non-immediate “kill immediately” threat. </p><p>Seph really fluctuates between 5 personas/mental states in BtV: scared and unloved little kid, awkward teenager, confused/clueless adult, “Silver General”, and “mentor”. There’s also hints of evil/insane Seph from time to time, but that’s more his petty/vindictive tendencies and is mostly reserved for the people he really doesn’t like (mainly Hojo at this point). </p><p>Laters!<br/>~Gregora</p><p>Next Time on BtV: Ami gets a new mentor who shows up almost immediately. Ami starts to uncover evidence that fully settles her mind as to Sephiroth’s fate. Genesis causes a stir.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0032"><h2>32. Investigations, Admissions, and Plans</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Ami gains a new mentor and together, they start investigating and planning. This new mentor manages to wring out Ami's secrets.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Disclaimer: I don’t own squat except for Ami. I’m just playing in Square-Enix’s sandbox, yo. Also, I need feedback and lots of since I know I’m not perfect and if things don’t mesh or match up, I’d like to know how to fix it. Anyways, on with the story!</p><p>Trigger Warning:  loss, grief, mentions of death, mentions of suicide, mentions of insanity, results of torture.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Chapter Twenty-Nine</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There was a bright side to being imprisoned in one’s own tent for shanking a couple of would-be rapists, which was the fact that she didn’t need to step outside for anything but to use the latrine and she had an armed escort when she did so. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There was also a great big downside. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She was reminded of her mentor’s absence.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The morning after the mission, when she woke up, she thought she’d woken up before him and glanced over to his cot. </span>
  <span>There, on his cot was Masamune in its sheath. The clothes she’d recovered was on the tent floor, likely needing to be cleaned. She had no idea how to even clean leather.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She was reminded that he was gone. Not dead. Just… misplaced.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She’d left her trays of food from breakfast and then lunch sitting on the table. She didn’t feel all that peckish. She didn’t feel like doing anything but lay on her cot and imagine what Seph would do if he were there. She shoved that thought away. It didn’t matter. He wasn’t there. Right now. He would be, soon. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Her PHS buzzed and she took a look. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A message from Lazard:</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>SOLDIER Third Class Ami Anderson:</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>I have received complaints that, in the current absence of your mentor, you stabbed four men. Because of this, I have taken to assign you a new interim mentor. He should be arriving within the day. You are to follow his instructions just how you followed Sephiroth’s.</b>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <b>- Director Lazard</b>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Great, she made everyone believe she needed a babysitter because Seph was gone. She just hoped that this one wouldn’t allow the sexual harassment to continue. Or be overwhelmingly annoying.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She was surprised when “within the day” translated to “in a few hours”.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You have been ordered to meet your new mentor at the landing zone,” one of her guards stated a few hours after having gotten the message from Lazard.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She merely sighed and shook her head. She’d already dressed in a clean uniform that morning and simply made her way to the landing zone, not caring about the sexual harassment she was dealing with. It didn’t matter any more. She deserved it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Her mood changed when a familiar red coat appeared within the helicopter. She didn’t know if it was a good thing or not, having to deal with Genesis. There was a chance that Genesis would blame her. As much of a chance that he wouldn’t believe her that Seph had to be alive somewhere behind enemy lines, completely naked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Still, something bothered her and she didn’t know what it was. She had to put it on the back burner because Genesis was approaching her, looking grim. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“How are you doing? Can’t be all that great since I heard you stabbed some people. Hope they did something to deserve it,” he said with a slight smirk.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“They did. I’m okay,” she responded, knowing that she’d defaulted to monotone, as she did when she was overwhelmed or was on auto-pilot.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You don’t look or sound okay,” he said with a frown before saying, “why don’t we head back to the tent?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She merely nodded. They’d gotten halfway to the tent when she saw Genesis grab some Infantryman’s arm after said man had groped her posterior. Genesis’ free hand held a fireball.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You better apologize,” Genesis threatened, “or I will melt your face off.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The Infantryman looked terrified before stammering out an apology before Genesis let him go and the fire in his hand evaporated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Does that happen a lot?” Genesis asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Every time I leave the tent. Multiple times if it’s a long walk across the camp.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And Seph allowed it?” Genesis asked, looking surprised.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We’ve sent in complaints to Heidegger. We got the response that it’s entirely because of my gender and not because of his men. Standard stance that I’m used to,” she said with a shrug, “Sephiroth made sure that I was safe, though. I wasn’t allowed to go anywhere without him escorting me.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, that stops today, Little Sister,” Genesis nearly growled out, “no one’s ever going to lay a hand on you while I’m in this ridiculous backwater excuse for a camp.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Why? Aren’t you upset at me?” she asked quietly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Why would I be upset at you?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s my fault he got captured.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Captured? I heard he was killed.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“By a mob of unenhanced people?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Who had materia and weren’t afraid to use it,” Genesis said with a frown before looking at her with a curious look, “what makes you think he’s captured?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Because it’s impossible. Because there’s something about it which smells and it wasn’t all the blood and gore.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He practically grinned before saying, “it’s just like in Loveless…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The rest of the unnecessarily long trek to the tent was spent with her doing her best to ignore Genesis’ long winded prattle about the similarities between their current situation and his favorite collection of poetry. She was sorely tempted to grab his copy of said book and shove it down his throat.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When they reached the tent, Genesis’ prattle was interrupted by the state of the tent. In particular, the fact that there were two meals’ worth of untouched food and Seph’s uniform that she’d recovered which was on the floor, by Seph’s bed, all neatly folded with respect. Except for the underwear which she resolved to leave in the pants because she had boundaries and respect. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You haven’t eaten, have you?” Genesis asked with a heavy sigh.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Not particularly hungry. Sides, the food’s got nothing on Angeal’s cooking. You guys spoiled me,” she said with a slight attempt at humor but she knew it fell flat.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m not going to have any of that, Little Sister. When we sit down for dinner, I expect you to eat. Or I will personally shove the food down your throat myself. Do I make myself clear?” Genesis asked, sounding upset to her ears.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She merely nodded.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So what’s with that?” Genesis asked, tapping the folded up clothes, “I know Seph wouldn’t leave those laying about like that.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I managed to recover his clothing and Masamune from the site,” she stated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You do know that furthers the case that he’s dead, right?” he asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes, but there’s just something wrong about it. I can’t put my finger on it. Call it a hunch, a gut feeling, or intuition, but I just know he’s out there, captured by Wutai and likely tortured right now.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And you’re sounding just like --” Genesis started to say.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“If you are going to compare all of this mess to Loveless, yet again, I. Will. Shove. It. Up. Your. Ass.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“...did you ever talk like that to Seph?” Genesis asked quietly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Regardless of what he may say about my lacking any sort of self preservation instinct but even I know he’d murder me for that. Or at least make me wish he did. Besides, he never had given me a long winded lecture on poetry.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Let’s go over what you know. Maybe there’s something you’ve missed that is giving you the feeling that something’s wrong. Sometimes, we attribute to intuition when we see things but don’t fully notice. Maybe there’s clues that you haven’t put together.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She nodded. The rest of the afternoon was spent going over everything, her leaving out references to the evil, time-traveling version of Seph and the telepathy, simply saying that she knew the direction he’d gone when he’d left her in the cave that looked like he’d created to hide her sorry self in. She then explained how the clothing was positioned as well as Masamune.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“His hair. What hair style did you do it up in?” Genesis asked, “and by the way, that was some good work in the picture. Did he know you took it?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t think he knew I sent it to…” she said trailing off before asking, “you’re on the Silver Elite subscription list.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I follow Silver Elite, Keepers of Honor, <strong>and</strong> Red Leather under an alias. I know Angeal does too, though maybe not Keepers of Honor. I do love my adoring fans,” Genesis said with a grin, “so his hair… what did you do with it?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“...Just a braid, pinned back so it didn’t become an unintentional weapon,” she stated with a frown before saying, “I forgot to look for the hair tie. It should have been… wouldn’t it have landed on top of the duster?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh I think there’s more to it than that,” Genesis said, having lifted up the duster, “most of the cuts look too small for it to have been more than superficial. Hold up the stomach guard, so I can look at it at the same time.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She did so and noticed something, “it’s barely damaged. Meaning that if he got a lethal wound, it would be on his chest. Right at his heart or lungs.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Move the straps to how they would rest on him. It doesn’t look like any of it got blood on it in a way that said he bled. And getting stabbed or shot or injured would involve a lot of blood.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What about materia?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hon, if he got killed by a mastered materia, it would be blindingly obvious. Fire-based materia would have had to render all this to ash or there’d at least be heavy singeing. Ice based would have made all this drenched in water, which would have made the duster less red. Lightning based would have also left some telltale signs of its own, which I’m sure you saw for yourself.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“With all the metal bits, no fooling,” she added, feeling a bit better as she looked over to Genesis, “so what do you believe?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I believe we’re going to need to figure out if there’s any forts near that location and scope them out,” Genesis said with a smirk that would have been less dangerous on anyone else.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Nice to know that someone believes me.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I believed you the moment you said that you were certain he was captured. I wanted to see how sharp you were. I can see why he likes you,” Genesis said, ruffling her short hair.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I just hope we can accomplish our rescue operation before it gets any colder.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was weird, laying in her cot that night and not feeling like crap. Genesis had made sure that the whole camp knew he wasn’t going to allow anything to happen to her and to leave her alone. She hadn’t expected Genesis to be so protective of her, beyond what Seph did. Of course, it made sense that Seph felt more limited in options where she swore Genesis was more the kind to say “screw the rules”. The only thing that weighed on her was the fact that Seph was somewhere out there, having a very miserable time of things.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She’d been just fiddling with her PHS when a chat notification showed up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span><strong>[21:45] Gen:</strong> I’ve called you all here to discuss info</span>
</p><p>
  <span><strong>[21:45] Zack:</strong> [tired chocobo emoji]</span>
</p><p>
  <span><strong>[21:45] Angeal:</strong> ...Gen, do you even understand the concept of time zones?</span>
</p><p>
  <span><strong>[21:45] Gen:</strong> Yes and I don’t care.</span>
</p><p>
  <span><strong>[21:46] Angeal:</strong> This is going to be a long night.</span>
</p><p>
  <span><strong>[21:46] Angeal:</strong> What’s the info?</span>
</p><p>
  <span><strong>[21:46] Gen:</strong> Our friend isn’t dead. There’s no evidence outside of his clothes being nicely arranged to create the illusion.</span>
</p><p>
  <span><strong>[21:47] Zack:</strong> [happy puppy emoji] [puppy with a party hat emoji]</span>
</p><p>
  <span><strong>[21:47] Angeal:</strong> Are you there, Ami?</span>
</p><p>
  <span><strong>[21:48] Gen:</strong> She’s staring at her PHS. </span>
</p><p>
  <span><strong>[21:48] Ami:</strong> Yeah, I’m here. Didn’t see a reason to respond yet.</span>
</p><p>
  <span><strong>[21:49] Angeal:</strong> Ami, no one blames you for what happened. No one but you is blaming yourself for getting injured. I’m just glad that your injuries are minimal and there’s evidence that he’s out there. We’re going to get our friend home.</span>
</p><p>
  <span><strong>[21:50] Ami:</strong> Sorry for being such a problem and making you feel like you had to type out a novel on a keypad. I’ve forgotten how much I hate it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span><strong>[21:51] Zack:</strong> Your world has PHSes like this?</span>
</p><p>
  <span><strong>[21:51] Ami:</strong> We called them phones and we did, still do. Most now look like mine. You know, the device that’s completely a touch screen. The one I use to listen to music.</span>
</p><p>
  <span><strong>[21:52] Zack:</strong> I thought it was just one of the newest models! That’s so cool!</span>
</p><p>
  <span><strong>[21:52] Gen:</strong> I see the puppy has finally discovered how to type in actual sentences! He can be taught!</span>
</p><p>
  <span><strong>[21:53] Zack:</strong> [Angry puppy emoji]</span>
</p><p>
  <span><strong>[21:53] Angeal:</strong> Now that the info has been discussed, I need to sleep. You too, Zack.</span>
</p><p>
  <span><strong>[21:54] Zack:</strong> [puppy pout emoji] [sad puppy emoji]</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ami stood in the clearing where she and Seph used to spar and train, but this time she was with Genesis. She’d be concerned by the clear air of mischief around him if she hadn’t learned that it was completely and totally normal. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So what has Seph taught you about materia?” he asked, sounding almost like one of her college instructors.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We started with Fire and Cure, particularly how to aim fireballs to destroy incoming fireballs and deflecting them as well as how to apply Cure. We’ve gone through all the other elemental materia as well. We were starting on overcharging materia right before we had our first mission together,” she stated before smirking, “I will have to admit that I’m short a materia because I overcharged it and used it as a grenade to take out a few walls. Seph wasn’t entirely happy about it due to the fact that I could have been horribly injured if my timing was wrong.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Not horribly injured. Killed,” Genesis said with a scowl, “I’ve seen too many Thirds go that way. Although, I’m not surprised you did that. You were lucky, Little Sister.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They covered the more practical aspects of materia use in the clearing before they made their way to the mess, him going over the more theoretical knowledge and information. He asked her how she was equipping her materia and she explained, getting a surprised look from Genesis.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And you said that there’s no materia where you’re from?” he asked, almost suspicious.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Not in the same way as here.” she said carefully.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Mind explaining? Because that kind of set up is more advanced than what most Thirds and even Seconds do,” Genesis said with a frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She frowned before saying, “I don’t know if I should.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You do know how suspicious all this about you is, right? You come in, pick a fight with Sephiroth, looking like you were facing down death itself, saved me from a shattered sword like you knew precisely how it was going to shatter, and now, you have a materia setup that’s advanced enough to be on par with some fresh First,” Genesis said with a deepening frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She had to look away with a sigh. Did she trust him? Yes, she did. Could she trust him with the knowledge she had? Very tenuous maybe. Her biggest concern was that he’d tell Angeal. And knowing Angeal, he’d be honor bound to talk to Seph about it the first chance he got.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You do know you can trust me, right, Little Sister?” he said quietly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I have two conditions,” she said before staring straight at him, “three, actually. One, we speak in private. Two, you don’t interrupt me with Loveless quotes. Three, you tell no one. Not even Angeal.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She saw him smirk before saying, “won’t be the first time I’ve kept a secret from Angeal.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Genesis recognized when Ami was troubled by what she was about to share. It was like she was working herself up to sharing a story that was just as painful as what happened to her last group of friends. She paced with her hands ruffling her inch or maybe two long hair which didn’t suit or fit her at all. He was going to encourage her to grow her hair out. But that was for later. When she finally sat down, he knew that she was ready to talk, to share.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“There were stories back where I came from and there was one that caught my interest when I was alone. It started as a single video game and then they made a movie sequel and then a video game prequel to the video game and then a sequel to the movie. I mostly know the story up to the movie. And I guess it does have some parallels to Loveless from what I can tell. At least in the beginning,” she started with a frown, “because it starts with three friends.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He raised his eyebrows at her. It did sound a lot like the setup of Loveless. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“The story doesn’t mention how they met. Just that they were part of an elite group of warriors and they trained together,” she closed her eyes and smiled, “although I question whether it was more accurate to refer to their training as simply ‘goofing off’.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sounds almost like us,” Genesis said with a grin, getting an amused look from Ami.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“One of them was considered a hero but disagreed with the title and hated the attention and popularity,” she explained with an almost sad smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So, like Sephy,” he commented, amused at the clear parallel.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Then there were the two best friends who grew up together and clearly pulled him into their friendship. Based on his personality, I’d imagine there was some kicking and screaming involved. Or at least a lot of annoyance involved. One of the best friends idolized their newfound friend to the point that it was the reason he joined the elite warriors, and that friendship became mostly competitive since he decided that the world needed a new hero and that it should naturally be him.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He looked at her, realizing that if she was going to mention that this third friend was anything like Angeal, he was going to call shenanigans and demand that she tell him the truth. Although, he may as well listen to her story and poke at it afterwards. Even if it sounded like it could shape up to be some horrible fiction that he wouldn’t put past any of their fan clubs.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Before you describe the third friend in this trio, did he happen to have a sword over half his size and drone endlessly on about honor?” he asked with a tired sigh.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She blinked at him a few times before cautiously asking, “how would you like me to answer your question?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So you’re telling me that in your world, there’s a series of games that involve me and my friends?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Just the first one chronologically,” she said, looking away, “everything kind of went to shit right after the training incident.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m listening.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“The difference was that I wasn’t there and neither was Zack. Just the three of you. That sword shattered and dug into your shoulder, dealing you a wound that never healed. You wind up listening to the wrong people… the people who never had your best interests at heart, just wanted vengeance against the company. You got caught up in a conspiracy and led a war against Shinra, believing that the people who told you that they could cure you were able to. It was a lie and you wound up being used and manipulated as your body slowly fell apart around you. You even got Angeal caught up in things and he… he was torn between the horror of his unknown past and his ties between you and Sephiroth. He couldn’t side with either of the two of you and… he took the easy way out. He believed himself a monster so he forced himself to die as one, by forcing Zack to kill him.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He stared at Ami as she calmly told the story, his mind reeling. His potential actions could have led to Angeal dying? Really? </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And Sephiroth?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She looked away as she hugged her arms to herself. She honestly looked like she was going to cry.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He felt abandoned and betrayed by the only friends he had, the only friends he believed wouldn’t abandon or betray him. He became withdrawn and just… everything slowly ground him down. He… didn’t take it well. He became just so tired… so broken… that he considered retiring from SOLDIER following one last mission that seemed so easy. Take out a dragon or two, check on a reactor… so simple.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He saw that setup. He’d read other stories, knew other stories. Whenever anything seemed simple, it was usually the point where things went to hell. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It didn’t go as well as expected.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Only if you consider a whole village on fire, almost everyone murdered, and Sephiroth either completely losing his last shred of sanity and humanity or having fallen under the control of an eldritch horror space virus as the expected outcome.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What?” he asked in horror before going, “mind explaining how that happened?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“The team for the mission was Zack, Sephiroth, and a few Infantrymen, one of which was a friend of Zack’s named Cloud Strife. Zack and Sephiroth went into the reactor to check it out. Sephiroth saw the things Hojo turned people, held in mako pods and… he questioned his own humanity. And while he verbally asked if he was a human being, you swooped down and told him that he was a monster and that he was spawned from a monster and then decided to ask the guy for help. He told you to go rot. He found the lab where he was born and spent some of his early childhood in and all of Hojo’s files he’d left behind. His already fragile mental state completely broke. He razed the village and killed most of the people before he was killed by an unenhanced trooper named Cloud.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“But… why? Why would I have done that?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Self-loathing. Desperation. Stupidity. Take your pick. That version of you was crumbling apart and was desperate to find a cure. No matter who you had to throw under the bus. And that version of you honestly believed himself to be a monster, because you couldn’t be a hero.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And then what happened?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Five years later, it appeared that Sephiroth was still alive. It’s open for interpretation as to whether he’d managed to survive and driven mad or was under the control of said space virus. It is… an annoying foe, working like the inevitable tides, pounding at your mind constantly, wearing you thin… if you’re blessed to be infected and got its attention.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m infected, aren’t I?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Everyone in SOLDIER is, to varying degrees and using varying methods,” she said with a frown, “but even if we are infected, that does not make us any more monsters than we were to begin with. A character in the stories said that SOLDIER is a den of monsters. I disagree. SOLDIER is a den of victims and survivors, doing their best to do the only thing they can do - survive. A community, I guess you could say. And any community relies on their leaders, their pillars. If any of those pillars crumble or grow weak…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And these pillars are Sephiroth and Angeal.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And yourself, Genesis. You’re just as much of an inspiration as they are. And we’re going to need everyone at their strongest to face our enemies, and I don’t mean Wutai. Or Avalanche.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So you saved me to save everyone,” he said quietly, looking at her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Not quite. At the time, I admit that I was worried about my friends,” she said, looking away, “I knew how things were likely to play out if I didn’t act. If I didn’t pull on the threads of destiny to create a new fate.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And no one yet knows,” Genesis said with a frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re the only one I’ve told so far. I’m… scared that if I divulge the information to Seph, he’d come unhinged. He’s already doubting his humanity enough. He’s… I don’t know if he’s mentally and emotionally strong enough to deal with it without losing him,” she said looking down, “and I don’t think our enemies are going to give us much in the way of an opportunity.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Who are these enemies you’re mentioning?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So you believe me about these stories?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I believe that they’re stories from your world. There’s too many things that fit with it. Also explains why you acted like a bashful fangirl for a while. He was your favorite character in these stories, was he?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Before the incident, yeah,” she said with a nod, still looking down, “I mean, a lonely kid who grew up not knowing what friends and love is… having their friends abandon you… learning that you’re not who you believed you were, who you wanted to be… Being told that you need to emote more, to smile more, to be told that my neutral face is scary… Who does that sound like?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And then you somehow was the one who got pulled here. No wonder why you’re in disbelief. If I got pulled into the world of Loveless…” he trailed off before frowning, “you avoided my question. Who are these enemies?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I have reason to believe that events played out like in the stories. Until the space virus and all its puppets decided to go into the past and try things over again. Somehow, that alteration led to my arrival here. From what I can tell, Hojo did to me what he did to Cloud following the incident save letting me steep in mako for the better part of five years. You know most of everything up to when there was a storm at sea.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She frowned as she took a sip from her canteen before saying, “I woke up because Seph was having a nightmare and I saw something outside the door and I went to investigate. I grabbed some of my armor and my blades just in case. Learned that the space virus traveled back in time because I was facing down the original timeline’s Sephiroth.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, like I said, I still don’t know how much of the original man’s in there, let alone if he’s being controlled and led to believe he’s the one calling the shots. He’s still technically in the lifestream but is using puppets that he can make them look like him. The puppets are much weaker than his true body, so that’s a point in our favor. The problem is that things are going to suck. They’re actively trying to force our Seph to surrender, to break, to let that virus into his mind. Because he is infected to a greater extent than most, it can create a telepathic bond with him. And because I’m infected with a blend of his cells and the virus’ cells, so can I.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re saying that you and Seph are telepathic?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“To an extent. We can only touch minds that belong to those who are infected, which naturally means all of SOLDIER. He’s been keeping it a secret because… it makes him feel that much more… alone and inhuman.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Which explains why he’s been happier than I’ve ever seen him be since you joined us. Because he finally had someone who had this ability. It also explains why sometimes Angeal and I know what he’s planning and occasionally thinking.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Which might not have been intentional. Since I developed that ability, we’ve had to learn how to control it. Which is also a benefit since it means that he’s more resistant to telepathic attacks, given he’s awake.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Which means he becomes a target when he sleeps,” Genesis said with a frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Which is why he and I agreed to chase off each other’s nightmares. I’ve also been targeted as well.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And since he’s not here, he’s without you to protect him. It’s quite romantic, you know,” he said with a smirk, “how the two of you are so devoted to each other, it’s like in Loveless…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He saw her glare and knew it was best to close his mouth.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“In the story, it wanted to kill or take over everything on this world so it could move to the next one. Like a cancer. And it knows how to do it and knows who the threats are and where all the pieces are. And it knows that I know because I opened my big mouth and decided to give that puppet some ‘tude.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, we can’t let this world suffer that fate,” he said with a smile, “and I don’t think we can do it without Seph.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, rescuing him should be our top priority,” she agreed, “step one should be to pull up some maps of the section of Wutai we were operating in and see where they could take them.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I should be able to do that with my security clearance,” he said with a grin.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I could come up with a preliminary gear checklist for the mission, since I think we should assume that if it gets any colder, hypothermia becomes a risk.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ami dreamed again. There were walls surrounding an open courtyard and in the middle was a tree. Seph was somehow secured against the tree. There were wounds all over his trunk, the blood dark against his ethereally pale skin as the moonlight shone down upon him. His head was bowed as he shivered in the cold night. She could have sworn that he had more muscle mass than what she saw. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ami… please be safe,” she swore she heard him whisper hoarsely from chapped lips.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She jolted awake before Genesis could wake her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : : .</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Author’s Note: 2/17/21</p><p>I seem to be doing a lot of cliffhangers, lol.</p><p>With Genesis, he seems to be the kind who would rather believe one of his friends is captured than believing they’re dead since Loveless. I kind of enjoyed doing their little forensic investigation and Genesis would know the evidence of what materia could do to Seph’s outfit. </p><p>Also Ami’s going to learn to regret opening up, but she sees Genesis as a friend and she’s trusting in the promises he made to keep it secret. He’s not exactly happy that his actions in another timeline led to his best friends dying. It was also being a huge weight on her shoulders and she hopes if she could keep Genesis from losing his mind, things may not go as bad.</p><p>Random BtV Trivia Time: I started doing the "next time" tagline entirely because DBZ was one of my first anime series I got into (along with Sailor Moon and Tenchi Muyo).</p><p>Laters!<br/>~Gregora</p><p>Next Time on BtV: Ami loses her patience and goes on a solo rescue mission. When an unexpected source of assistance in her task appears, can she trust it?</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0033"><h2>33. Rescue Mission</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Ami loses her patience and goes on a solo rescue mission. When an unexpected source of assistance in her task appears, can she trust it?</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Disclaimer: I don’t own squat except for Ami. I’m just playing in Square-Enix’s sandbox, yo. Also, I need feedback and lots of since I know I’m not perfect and if things don’t mesh or match up, I’d like to know how to fix it. Anyways, on with the story!</p><p>Trigger Warning: results of torture, wounds, blood, injury</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Chapter Thirty</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It had been a week. A long, grueling week and Ami found her mood soured halfway through. It didn’t help that she reached the point that she just couldn’t sleep.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Rephrase, she didn’t <strong>want</strong> to sleep.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Each night, she kept dreaming of her friend and mentor. And each night, it was worse.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The third night, he was clearly losing body mass as the wounds from the previous night’s dream had sealed, however, there were more wounds. And the introduction of bruises all over his trunk, limbs, and face. His nose looked broken with blood dripping down. His shivering in the night was getting more pronounced.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She couldn’t help but to approach him in the dream and just touch him. To just let him know that he wasn’t completely alone. She touched his cheek, feeling chilled skin. He gave a slight start before looking at her, his eyes focusing on her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ami?” he asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m safe for now, Seph. Genesis got assigned as my temporary mentor until we break you out from wherever you’re kept.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Don’t bother, Ami.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She woke up with his words still echoing in her mind.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And then there was the fourth night’s dream.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He was even skinnier, having lost a lot of body mass as she could tell that he wasn’t as alert as he’d appeared in the previous night’s dream. He also had more bruising everywhere, overlapping the previous night’s bruises. More wounds. His lips had split and bled. His hair looked like it had been through a weed whacker, completely uneven. Discarded hair littered the ground. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You need to stop, Ami,” he said quietly, “you’re making this harder.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“For which one of us?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Both. I can see the pain on your face. Just stop doing this.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t even know what’s going on, let alone what I’m doing.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When she woke up, she intended not to sleep again, not until Seph was rescued. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And to make matters worse, after the third day, Genesis stopped talking about rescuing Seph. He actively avoided her and told her that it wasn’t going to happen, that neither of them could be certain as to where he was. At least she’d seen maps of the area and knew that there was only one fort in the area. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>At the same time, the group chat which had been so active stopped being active at all and it bothered her. Worse was the fact that Genesis clearly wasn’t going to let her have a sleepless night, hitting her with the effects of a sleep materia. It stopped her from having the dreams, so there was that.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>By the end of the week, she was absolutely done. If no one was going to do anything, she may as well screw the rules and deal with things on her own. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After Genesis’ proclamation that if anything happened to her without her consent would result in melted faces at minimum, she’d been free from sexual harassment and rape attempts, so she was given a bit more free range. She had a plan and it was going to be the best she could do. It didn’t help that it was the only thing she could do. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Would it be cool if I just went off to the tent to chill? I’ve got my own personal research I’m doing,” she explained with her best smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t see why not,” was Genesis's response, dismissing her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She knew that she didn’t have long to grab what she was going to need and take off. She was glad that she had enough pockets on her uniform. She paused as an idea hit her. The leather duster she’d recovered had been washed and thanks to Genesis having the supplies and know-how, the damage to it had been repaired. She knew that she was definitely smaller, but the difference in height wouldn’t pose that much difficulty. She smirked as she slipped it on, realizing that there was more in the way of size difference outside of shoulder width and height.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Her arms were clearly not as thick nor long and she felt almost embarrassed. It was the first time in a while she’d tried a random piece of clothing on and it was big on her. She stretched her arms out in front of her, seeing that the cuffs of the coat nearly covered her thumb. She even noticed that he had some secret pockets in the liner, finding a basic trauma kit and the various odds and ends that was always a good idea to have on hand during a mission. His coat hid a survival kit and then some. She considered grabbing Masamune, just in case Seph was capable of fighting. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She paused a moment before deciding that she probably shouldn’t carry something she knew was likely to be burdensome during what was likely a multi-day hike. That was, unless she could figure out how to carry an eight to ten foot long sword. She needed to focus on the other equipment first.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She was fortunate that she’d decided to get a dark colored drawstring backpack in Junon, explaining that even a simple backpack like that could be useful. And it was going to be. She shoved it full of all the trail rations she had on her, which had been specially selected by Seph based on caloric content and nutrition. She thought they all tasted like spiced cardboard. She even grabbed some packets of instant coffee, along with packets of creamer and sugar. She could live with that in an emergency.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She still had some space in her pockets so she shoved packages of handwarmers in her pockets and grabbed a spare pair of socks. She stowed away a tube of electrolyte replacement tablets in one of the empty pockets of the duster. She looked over things and slid the drawstring backpack over both shoulders before taking another look at Masamune.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The ridiculously long sword was safely nestled in its sheath and she wondered if there was a way to sling it across her back. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Within minutes, she ducked out of the tent and was thankful that the tent was almost at the edge of the perimeter. No one seemed to notice her entering the forest and starting to book it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Genesis knew that he wasn’t blind nor was he a fool. And he knew that Angeal’s plan to keep Ami in the dark was a terrible one. He’d seen her withdraw and become troubled as a result. All to ensure operational security. So when he noticed that she’d left her half of the tent a scattered mess along with the absence of the newly repaired black leather duster and Masamune, he immediately knew what happened. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He hit the first number he’d set in the PHS’ memory.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What is it this time, Gen?” Angeal asked with a slight sigh.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I believe I have the right to tell you ‘I told you so’. Our little birdie’s left the nest,” he stated with a smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He heard Angeal let out his near patented tired sigh as he knew that his best friend was pinching the bridge of his nose. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And of course, she’s got the intel you gave her before the mission was even set up,” Angeal said with a sigh.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“With her head start, if she survives the forest full of Shinobi and Wutai troops, if she moves as fast as I’ve seen her move, she’ll probably reach the location near the time we will,” he said with a smirk.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Why didn’t you stop this?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Because I told you this was going to happen and no one listened to me.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She kept going through the forest until night fell. Fortunately, she recognized the area and knew where there was a small cave, which was the one she’d been healing in before recovering Seph’s gear and clothing. She was willing to bet that it was going to be a safe place to rest. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She ate a few of her protein bars and granola bars that night. She didn’t want to get into the trail rations in case Seph needed the calories. She fell into an uneasy sleep.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She dreamed again.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Seph was practically emaciated, parts of his hair were cut to the scalp with healing cuts on the scalp itself. The only clue she had that he was still alive was the fact that he shivered almost violently. She drew close to him and moved to press as much of her body against his, hoping that some body heat would transfer. She heard his shivering breaths since his mouth was so close to her right ear. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I told you to stop this,” he forced out between shivers.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hush. I’m coming to save you. This time tomorrow night, you’ll be free and nice and warm. You just need to hang on,” she said quietly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I can’t make any promises.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She woke up to her PHS buzzing. It had been doing that a lot since about the second hour on her personal rescue mission. She looked out of the cave, seeing that the sky was brightening before the dawn. She still checked her PHS. There were missed calls from Director Lazard, Angeal, and Zack. And a ton of text messages. She had enough time to go through the text messages.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The messages from Director Lazard was him informing her that all disciplinary action will be up to her mentor and to wish her luck. So good news.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Angeal, however, left her messages which told her that he was stuck in one of his usual moods. It was a rant via text about honor and discipline and how everyone’s worried because she could get herself killed and more about honor and how it’s not honorable to not tell anyone if she’s okay so please respond… </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Zack only left a couple of messages. A couple of thumbs up emojis and the words ‘good luck and don’t mind Angeal blowing up your PHS. I don’t envy you for what’s coming from either Geal or Seph when he finds out.’</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She did at least respond to Angeal with a message saying ‘Good news: Still not dead yet unless I’ve learned to come back from the dead to text you.’ Zack got a message saying, ‘I’d rather have an angry mentor than a dead one.’</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She stowed her PHS back in her pocket and climbed out of the cave. The moment she turned to the direction she needed to go in, she stopped. Her view was obscured. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She saw the very familiar straps crossing over a very familiar and very pale chest. It was close enough that she had yet to walk into it, but it was definitely unsettling since it was so unexpected. Without thinking, she poked the chest to verify whether she was hallucinating or dealing with a clone. Either was possible and whichever one it was meant something else.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Whether she should expect to fight or if he felt particularly chatty. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Her finger met resistance before she pulled it back and took out the small bottle of hand sanitizer and sanitized the whole hand. Clearly, the scent hit him hard enough that he actually took a few steps back.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m certain you’re curious why I’ve crossed your path yet again,” he practically purred.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Willing to bet that I’m your newest obsession and your clock has hit ‘harass Ami time’. So what is it this time? Gonna tempt me to join the Dark Side cause of cookies? Instigate a fight? Try to give me more nightmares? Cause if my current ones are your work, you’ve been doing a bang-up job at it,” she stated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He laughed and it made her skin crawl and her spine twitch before saying, “I’m quite aware that all of your prattle is merely your response to your terror. I can smell it. I can hear your pulse spike the moment you see me. I know I scare you and that’s enough for me to stay my hand. For now. Until you’re no longer useful or entertaining. I wonder just how long after your mentor has joined Mother and I will you be entertaining.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“In case you haven’t noticed, I prevented the main event which led to who and what you currently are. I doubt he’ll ever become what you are because he’s so much greater than the shadow of a man you are.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Your despair will be so very beautiful when you’ve learned that you can’t fight fate. When you witness Nibelheim burning to the ground just the same as Cloud did. He will claim his birthright. He can’t help it. It’s who and what he is. It’s within his very genetic makeup.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And yet, you’re also bothering with me. Trying to lure me to join you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Not this time, my lady,” he said with a purr, “I can’t allow my other self to die. Not when he could still be of use. And all that stands in your way is a forest full of enemies.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So you’re saying that our goals align this once. We both don’t want my mentor to die.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And your legs are slower than mine. Even my wing is faster.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, not buying it. I know better than to fall for this,” she muttered, crossing her arms in front of her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She heard him utter a small sound before he literally grabbed her and carried her over his shoulder as if she were nothing. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“If you struggle, I may drop you. Wouldn’t that be a shame,” he said neutrally.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She merely let out a sigh and just allowed it to happen because she was just done with all this. She wished that his version of Cloud was around just to get his attention. This was definitely not what she signed up for. And when she woke up, she wasn’t expecting to be carried like a sack of potatoes over her enemy’s shoulder. Ugh. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Just how long are you planning on carrying me like this?” she asked, feeling frustrated by the whole situation.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Long enough that you can make it the rest of the way on your own and not be late,” he stated, “although, I am entertained by the fact that you acquiesce so nicely.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, well, I’m just smart enough to pick my battles.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She heard him let out a scoff.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Okay, to be fair, the whole fight on the ship wasn’t exactly my brightest moment.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Neither has been every time I’ve encountered you. I’ve come to the conclusion that Cloud has more sense than you do. He doesn’t try to provoke me in the same way as you do.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah well, I figure since each time we cross paths, I’m likely to die so I may as well wring as much out of it. If I can wipe that disgustingly smug grin off your face, I consider that a victory.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Don’t make me regret this.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You mean more than I have already?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She heard him let out a small sound that sounded like a slight sigh.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She was thankful that before either of them spoke, she found herself being dropped to the forest floor and he stepped away.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Your objective is in that direction,” he said, gesturing in the direction they’d been going before he seemed to disappear.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She hauled herself up with a frown and dusted herself off before making her way in the direction she was given. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She’d decided to use her training to leap from tree to tree, if only because it gave her the ability to avoid the patrols. She didn’t feel like killing anyone. All she wanted to do was get to her objective. The sun had already gone down, bathing the forest in darkness. She just had to keep going. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She frowned as she passed by several Wutaiese patrols on the ground, thankful that none of them were shinobi. ‘I’ll take care of the patrols on my way out,’ she thought as she continued her silent journey. <em>‘Should be a few more miles,’</em> she thought as she swore she was sensing something with her telepathy.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was distant and weak, but she could definitely pick up some threads of distress. She hoped that it was a matter of distance and not his physical or mental state. <em>‘I hope you can hear this, but I’m coming for ya, buddy,</em>’ she sent as she continued, leaping from tree to tree. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Or tried to. Masamune’s sheath caught on a limb, altering the arc of her leap, causing her to fall short and grab the attention of a patrol. She knew she’d grabbed the patrol by surprise when she glared at them, her mako infused eyes glowing green moments before she weaved among them with her dual blades. She heard their bodies fall to the ground with a dull thud, their gurgles for air too quiet for the wind to pick up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She washed the blood off of her blades with a careful application of a water materia and wiped the water off with either leg before sheathing them. She leaped into a nearby tree and continued her path, feeling the connection grow stronger. And yet, what she sensed troubled her. His mind was still distant and cloudy and full of distress and pain and horror. <em>‘Please tell me you can hear me,’</em> she sent as she drew ever closer, using her telepathic sense to guide her way.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span><em>‘I must be dreaming again,’</em> came the quiet response, <em>‘why is it that you’re the one my subconscious keeps bringing up? Clearly it's because you're the one most likely to disregard orders for the chance of saving me, and because we’re friends. I suppose this is one of the rare instances where my dreams are far more pleasant than reality.’</em></span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span><em>‘At least tell me your status so I know what I’m working with here. As well as everything you know about the place you’re being kept,’</em> she sent back with a sigh.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span><em>‘Cold. Shivering. Thirsty. Hungry. I don’t know how much more I can take. I wish I was actually talking to you and not a dream or a hallucination,’</em> he responded, <em>‘being kept in the middle of a courtyard. They stopped actually patrolling the yard once they realized that I’m too weak to break free from ropes. I think… they’re trying to kill me from exposure since they've utterly failed to break my spirit.’</em></span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Anger and rage seethed from within her at the imagery she had gotten with those thoughts. She could feel how cold he was feeling, the burning of his throat with each breath because of how thirsty he was, the gnawing hunger and the full-body weakness, like every muscle in his body ached and was unlikely to move even if he was able to move them. She nearly fell out of the tree she was in due to the sensory information she received from him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>In the moonlight, she could make out the fortress, just over the next ridge, a clear perimeter around its walls without any trees.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span><em>‘How does this fortress rate against all of our training scenarios?’</em> she sent at him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span><em>‘More heavily guarded and more troops,’</em> he responded, <em>‘even if you had a diversion, you’d be hard pressed to get through them all. This is more in line with what a Second or First could deal with by themselves.’</em></span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span><em>‘What if I stealthed my way in and freed you and handed you Masamune and we were working together?’</em> she asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span><em>‘In my current state, I’m just dead weight,’</em> he sent back with a sigh, <em>‘if this isn’t a dream and I’m talking to the real Ami, just turn back. You can’t succeed and I don’t want to die knowing that you’ve gotten yourself captured because of me. Let me die with a clear conscience regarding you.’</em></span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span><em>‘If I were even considering turning tail and running even a slight possibility, you’ve made it less of a possibility with what you just said. I’m definitely going to rescue you and carry your pasty as hell ass back to camp. Even if I have to hogtie you in order to accomplish that goal.’</em> she sent, including the mental image of what him being hogtied would look like. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span><em>‘You wouldn’t do that,’</em> he responded, <em>‘not that you’d have to.’</em></span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Another pang of pain fed her rage over the state Seph was in. She had to keep her mind cool while using her rage. She had to keep thinking rationally and that meant not charging into the fortress like she owned the place. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span><em>‘I’m sensing others.’</em> A moment later he sent, <em>‘Angeal, Genesis, and Zack are here. Angeal and Genesis are a diversionary force. Zack will be entering and cleaning out the stragglers.’</em></span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span><em>‘Perfect. It will give me the opportunity to stealth directly to you while everyone’s running around like chickens with their heads cut off,’</em> she sent back before realizing that she’d used a turn of phrase from her world and chickens didn’t exist in this one.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was then that she could sense Zack’s presence, taking cover just outside the gates. She moved around the perimeter, a few trees back to figure out the position of the yard Seph was kept in and noticed that it was closer to one of the walls. As she waited for the diversion, she slipped one of the electrolyte replacement tablets in each of the full canteens so that when it was time, they would be ready.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She smiled as she saw a massive fireball erupt from the wall furthest from the yard. She knew that Zack had made his move and it was her turn to make her’s, leaping onto the wall and seeing some guards standing on the ledges. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Before they could react, they were already falling off the walls, their necks cut open by her wires. She could see the yard from her vantage point, a fenced in square of dirt with a pole in the middle. She could just make out that someone was tied to the pole. She ran over, jumping right into the yard. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>In the moonlight, she almost thought it wasn’t him. He was a lot leaner, having lost a lot of muscle mass, his skin wasn’t pale but was a mosaic of splotches of greens, reds, blues, and purples, at least the parts of his skin which wasn’t dirty or bloodied. There wasn’t a lot of untarnished skin that she could see in the moonlight. What bothered her the most was that the state of his hair was exactly like her dream the previous night - it had been very roughly cut before handfuls were cut down to the scalp to the point that there were razor burns and healing gashes on his scalp. He looked up at her with one eye partially open, glowing faintly green with mako.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ami,” he weakly whispered, his voice altered by the shivering he was doing and the dryness of his throat, the breath causing wisps of steam in the cold air to rise.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m here, Seph,” she whispered firmly as she approached, pulling out the reusable hand warmers and activating them, “you’re going to be alright.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She slid them into a sock apiece, shoving them into his armpits, near one of the major arteries, saying, “that should help warm you up. Let me get the ropes taken care of.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So warm,” he almost purred as she moved to cut through the ropes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She could sense Zack’s mind still dealing with those who hadn’t rushed off to the explosion as she cut through the ropes using one of her knives. It didn’t take her long to loosen the bindings, keeping a hold on his shoulder as the ropes loosened to keep him leaning against the pole.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Okay, now that’s done,” she said, pulling out her thermal blanket and wrapping it around his back and chest so that the reflective surface was against his skin.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thank you,” he said as she moved around so they could face each other.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She’d been in the middle of pulling out one of the canteens when he suddenly moved, pulling her against his chest. She was still processing what was going on when she felt lips on hers. She was still very surprised when he deepened the kiss. Her mind completely stopped under the onslaught of his kiss. Without her permission, her arms went around him, holding him tighter as she could feel his chest against her. He let out a groan as her tongue decided to react, also acting without her permission.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She’d been kissed before, but not like this and definitely by someone only months ago had only existed to her as a fictional character from a video game. Her mind snapped back to reality as she realized that where she knew she should be feeling muscles, she was feeling bones. She pulled back in shock and stared at him with wide eyes. He blinked with his only opened eye and let out a curious sound.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span><em>‘The dream usually ends after that,’</em> he sent with a clear frown as she pulled back and grabbed one of her canteens.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span><em>‘That’s because this isn’t a dream, Seph,’</em> she sent back as she untwisted the cap.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re going to want to sip this slowly,” she whispered, passing it to him and seeing him take a sip.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span><em>‘Wait… you kiss me in your dreams?’</em> she sent after a moment.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Not water,” he whispered back.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Sometimes. The few times I’ve dreamed of kissing you without warning, the version of you in my dream has a negative reaction which is quite different to yours.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It is. I added an electrolyte replacement tablet to it,” she explained back as he took another sip.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m glad to see that you got here okay” she heard Zack from behind her, clearly having caught up to them as Seph took another small sip, “you know that Angeal’s expecting to give you a rant the whole ride back to camp.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She saw Seph look between her and Zack before he gave her the closest to a frown she’d ever seen on his face. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re not here under orders?” he asked, giving her a clearly stern glare.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No one bothered to tell me or else I’d have stayed in camp,” she said with a frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We are going to discuss this once I’ve recovered enough,” he practically growled at her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Can you walk, Seph?” Zack asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Not very well in my current state,” he said with a frown before Ami realized a few things.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Mind getting him standing while I do something right quick?” Ami asked before removing the drawstring backpack and Masamune from her shoulders.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Once Zack managed to get Seph standing, he draped one arm over Zack while using the other to hold the thermal blanket in place. She draped the leather duster she’d been wearing over his shoulders and on top of the thermal blanket.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You know that I’m likely to get more warmth from the duster than the thermal blanket, right?” he asked before moving it out of position so he could fully wear the duster, making sure that it was secured in a way to ensure his modesty.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She picked up a sigh as he clearly took in the warmth of the duster.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I didn’t know what state you were in and I felt that I should’ve brought this with me,” she said, handing Masamune in its hilt to her mentor, who merely slung it over his shoulder as she had done.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I appreciate your foresight,” he stated with a nod to her before looking over to Zack, “we should make our way before we get ambushed.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, doubt it. I cleaned the place out,” Zack stated as she slung the drawstring backpack over her shoulders and they started walking together, “apparently, they were working on anti-SOLDIER monsters.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m quite aware of that,” Seph stated, “they kept throwing them at me.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What I don’t get,” Ami said with a frown, “is how they managed to capture you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I exchanged my freedom for yours,” Seph said quietly, "I was a more valuable prisoner than you would have been."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Angeal couldn’t hide the sigh of relief when he saw both Ami and Seph with Zack as he waited at the gates of the fort. He could see how tired both of them were, but Seph’s state worried him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Angeal,” Seph said with a nod, giving him what he knew was the closest thing to a smile he’d ever seen on his face.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Seph,” he said with a nod, “how are you feeling?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Better by the second,” Seph responded before he nearly collapsed and Zack nearly fell under the sudden weight.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Angeal knew that carrying Seph like that would likely slow them down and he knew that the sooner Seph got to a medic, the better. He also knew that Seph was unlikely to give him much of a fight. He scooped up the other man in his arms and started walking. He tried hard not to squeeze his far too light friend too hard as he tried not to notice just how hurt said friend was. He knew no one would fault him for his tears.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : : .</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Author’s Note: 2/17/21</p><p>And Seph’s back! Ish. He’s got some recovery time ahead of him. </p><p>Evil!Seph popped in because sometimes I just can’t control him. </p><p>A good chunk was written about ten days ago and I’ve edited for flow. </p><p>[2/18/21]<br/>My aunt whom I’ve been caring for passed away this afternoon. My pace may be affected. </p><p>Laters!<br/>~Gregora</p><p>Next Time on BtV: Ami has a nightmare and Sephiroth manages to pry a few secrets out of her, including the one she’s been holding the tightest. How does he handle this knowledge?</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0034"><h2>34. Dark Secrets Illuminated</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Ami has a nightmare and Sephiroth manages to pry a few secrets out of her, including the one she’s been holding the tightest. How does he handle this knowledge?</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Disclaimer: I don’t own squat except for Ami. I’m just playing in Square-Enix’s sandbox, yo. Also, I need feedback and lots of since I know I’m not perfect and if things don’t mesh or match up, I’d like to know how to fix it. Anyways, on with the story!</p><p>Trigger Warning: results of torture, wounds, blood, injury</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Chapter Thirty-One</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Under the lights of the helicopter’s interior, Ami could tell that Seph looked worse only because she could make out more details. Details like how one of his eyes were closed due to one heck of a black eye which likely caused the eye to swell shut. How his lips were so chapped that they split by themselves and had signs of having split from being punched. How there were lacerations and burns from razors all over his bared portions of his scalp like whomever was removing his hair had no intentions of being gentle or even pleasant about it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>What did ease her was how his mind seemed more at ease, how his shivers were steadily abating, how he continued to sip from her canteens. She even passed him one of the protein bars she carried on her person in case of emergencies. She wondered if he’d even chewed it with how quickly he’d torn through it. And all the while, she could feel his mind brushing against hers like he missed their mental connection. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She remained quiet as she kept passing him food and water, noticing his shivering dying down. She didn’t have anything to say or do other than sending him reassurances of his safety. His mind was definitely not fully operating as it usually was, something she attributed to a mix of starvation, dehydration, and hypothermia. And she knew that she was just barely holding it in. He incrementally slowed his intake of food and fluids as she saw and felt him slowly inch closer to sleep. While she was handing her canteens of water and whatever food she had on her, she was getting another of Angeal's famous lectures.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Seph, you should stay awake,” Angeal stated from Seph’s other side as Seph was clearly shaken awake, “we don’t know if you’re still hypothermic.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I likely still am,” he drowsily responded as Ami could feel the helicopter descending.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Then stay awake just a little bit longer,” Ami stated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He nodded sleepily moments before the helicopter landed and everyone got out of the side opposite of the medics who were loading Sephiroth onto a stretcher. She was headed towards the medical tent when she found a rather angry Army Colonel glaring at her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Just what the hell do you think you were doing?” Colonel Simmonds growled.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Saving a friend’s life,” she said with a frown, “because I thought that no one in the area cared enough.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We needed to gather intel first and you were being an emotional wreck, which is a reason why I don’t think Lazard’s little project will pan out. I wouldn’t want emotional women in my Army, but SOLDIER?” the Colonel rambled.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She was about to make an angry retort when she felt like she couldn’t say anything.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Hush,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> she heard a familiar voice echo in her mind,</span>
  <em>
    <span> ‘that will just get you in trouble. We both know you’re tired and not in the best mindset to filter your words nor deal with this.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘We will have words about this.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Oh, I no doubt will. But understand, I’m doing this for both of our best interests.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No smart comments, Third Class Ami Anderson?” the Colonel asked, almost seething.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She was about to make a very smart comment, asking if he really wanted one and that she was just really tired and wanted to check on her friends so please get to the point.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No, sir,” she found the calm words coming out of her mouth.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“For this stunt, I should have you shut in your tent!” the Colonel shouted.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I hardly think it’s necessary, Colonel,” a familiar voice said as she saw a big, bulky shadow at the edge of her vision, knowing it was Angeal.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“This woman has been emotional and broke regulations! She disregarded direct orders!” the Colonel roared.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Anyone who has a captured mentor would be emotional and would go and mount a rescue mission themselves if they were kept unaware,” Angeal said calmly before giving a bit of a smirk, “and by the looks of things, I’d say you're being the emotional one, Colonel.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“She went against orders!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I agree. And I agree that she should be properly punished. Perhaps with extra duties in the medical tent? According to what I hear, she’s quite adept with healing materia. I’m sure the surgeons and nurses would appreciate her assistance,” Angeal offered.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She watched the Colonel start to cave before grumbling, “fine.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Once the Colonel had prowled off, she turned to Angeal with a smile, feeling Seph’s control of her dissipating. Angeal gave her a smile before tilting his head towards the medical tent.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Seph was being a pain about resting until he knew everyone was okay,” Angeal said with a smile, “he wanted me to collect you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She nodded, walking alongside Angeal. “You know, I honestly thought you guys blamed me. I mean, ya’ll just stopped messaging me back.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That was because we were having a difficult time keeping the operation a secret from you,” Angeal said gently, “we decided not to respond for the sake of operational security.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Doesn’t mean I enjoyed being kept in the dark,” she said as they walked into the medical tent.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What matters is that Seph is likely going to recover from this, in no small part due to your actions and preparedness,” Angeal said as they reached a curtain which had blocked view of one of the hospital beds.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When Angeal pulled back the curtain, she swore her heart broke. Under the lighting, she could see even more. She could see just how much he’d withered away in a week just in his face. His head was covered with a knit cap, likely to keep the heat in, one of his eyes was still bruised and swollen closed, but otherwise looked just like he always had. The fact that his eye hadn’t been healed by any of the healing spells meant that all that energy went to worse injuries. She could make out the lattice of green energy that was the sign of an active regen field.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The rest of him was buried under blankets and there were irregular lumps all over his chest which she hoped were hot water bottles. There was an IV line which ran under the blankets, likely to deal with his dehydration. Zack was sitting on the side opposite of Genesis. Masamune rested against the wall, just within Seph’s reach while the leather duster was neatly folded and draped over a nearby chair.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“While you were out, the medic came by,” Genesis stated, “it sounds like good news, but Seph’s going to need to build his muscles back.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ami couldn’t help but to raise her eyebrows before commenting, “meaning that for once, the mentee can physically overpower the mentor?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ami, a </span>
  <b>summer’s breeze</b>
  <span> can overpower me in my current state,” Sephiroth deadpanned, pulling her attention toward him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Feeling better?” she asked, feeling awkward as she stepped closer.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Much. I find it difficult to be as angry with you as I should be, considering how much you’ve helped me,” he said as she saw the corners of his mouth lift, “but don’t assume that I won’t discipline you for actions in the near future.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She saw his opened eye slowly closed and felt his mind start to drift off into sleep. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I think I’m going to go to sleep,” Angeal said, standing up, “I suggest everyone does too. We’ve had a busy day.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That does sound like a good idea. We rescued our damsel in distress, after all,” Genesis said with a smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I heard that,” Seph said with a bit of a growl, clearly not quite fully asleep yet.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Does that make me the knight in shining armor who rescued the fair damsel?” Ami asked, taking on a dramatic pose.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No it does not,” Seph said with a very slight frown as Ami got up and was scoping out a good spot on the floor.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You know that no one will mind it if you go to your cot to sleep,” Angeal stated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I would but he’s instituted a rule that while we’re in camp, I’m to never leave his sight,” she responded with a smirk.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I have a sleep materia and I will use it if you continue to be an idiot,” Genesis said with a sigh.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What about you guys?” she asked with a frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We’ve got permission to commandeer a couple of cots here,” Angeal stated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ami,” Seph groaned, sounding very tired, “go to the tent and sleep. That’s an order as your Commanding Officer.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Once curled up in blankets in her cot, her mind wouldn’t settle down. She blamed it on the fact that her inner fangirl was still swooning over the kiss. She had to remind herself that he was clearly vaguely delirious from his physical state and would likely regret having done such things in the morning. And yet, she couldn’t help but to admit that it was a really good kiss. She rolled over to plant her face in her pillow. She was acting like she was in High School again. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re still awake,” Genesis muttered, “want me to cast a Sleep on you?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She paused before frowning. If she got Sleep cast on her, she wouldn’t be able to react if she needed to chase away one of Seph’s nightmares. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I think I just need more time to settle. Thanks for the offer though,” she murmured as she tried to find a comfier position.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She reached out, sensing that his mind had already drifted into sleep and dream. Just the barest mental contact like that was enough to set her at ease just enough to sleep as well.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A village on fire. The wooden buildings and houses falling apart. She’d seen this before but the detail was beyond what she’d ever seen. She could hear the cracking of the flames as the smoke choked her. She looked around in a daze. This couldn’t be. She turned around to see that everything was on fire. Everything but the cobblestone streets.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh but it is. Was. And shall be,” a voice purred into her ear from behind her, “because we both know what Nibelheim hides. The secrets such a small backwater holds. Secrets that shall lead him to his true fate.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And here, I thought we were getting along so well,” she sighed sarcastically, not bothering to look at the man.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Just reminding you that your time is running out. Fate is inexorable and will follow the same paths.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Meaning that you know you’re going to fail yet again. Isn’t this like your tenth attempt?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Fate is different from simple mistakes. Mistakes I don’t intend to make again.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“There’s one thing I don’t quite understand.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Just one?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What do you get from out of all this?” she asked, turning to face him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Mother’s adoration, of course.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Saying you don’t have it now?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Mother’s </span>
  <b>continued</b>
  <span> adoration.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Are you implying that she only loves you because you’re useful to her?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>In hindsight, she shouldn’t have said that. She saw him bring up Masamune into a threatening stance.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Make no mistake, I need you to be physically alive for my plan. That doesn’t necessarily include your mind,” he said, letting out a threatening purr.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She pulled out her blades and went into a defensive position, ready to put in a good fight. She was surprised when the man seemed to stiffen and made a grimace.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It appears that our time is over,” he said almost dejectedly before walking into the flames.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The flames grew and he disappeared into the darkness. It was like seeing that cutscene in real life.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He’d been sleeping, dreaming. Surrounded in comfortable darkness, feeling light touches, light caresses over him. There was likely more, but he couldn’t remember more when he was jolted out of it by an overwhelming feeling of fear. He didn’t bother opening his eyes, just dove his mind into the connection and through to Ami’s nightmare. He hoped she hadn’t been troubled by nightmares in his absence. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Her nightmare coalesced around him in an inferno which was clearly once a village or a small town. He paused with a frown. It was familiar to him. He’d seen this burning village in his nightmares. Nightmares she had yet to see. The smoke was bitter and thick as he walked through. She had to be somewhere nearby.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ami?” he called out and caught her movement.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ami was backlit by the flames. However, she looked different than her physical self. She wore clothing I’d never seen on her, a bodice which was a deep green with gold, red, and brown embroidery under a long coat that was a patchwork of various brown pieces of leather. On top of that were thick black leather pauldrons. Her trousers looked like the standard cargo pants she favored, which was also a deep green and she had on her usual boots she wore when not in uniform. But what was striking was that she had her hair as long as it was when they’d met, also tied back in a similar way.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When she saw him, she gave him a small smile, like she was happy to see him. It hadn’t surprised him since he was aware that after a point in time he couldn’t pinpoint exactly, she’d always been obviously happy to see him. He decided that it was nice that he had another person around who was happy to see him. Another who took comfort in his presence and he could take comfort in her’s. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And yet, this was the village from his nightmares. The village that his nightmares had him raze to the ground, slaughtering indiscriminately. The village which seemed to be pulling at him, drawing him deeper, even in his nightmares and this one as well. It didn’t sit right with him and this time, he was going to have his answers, but he’d be far more gentle, far more careful than last time. If he was careful enough, gentle enough, she might not even notice.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He just hoped that  he could pull it off and that she’d forgive him. But it was an itch that was just getting worse and he was quite certain that he was going to go absolutely insane if she kept it up with the hints and dancing around things. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Mind explaining where this is and why it’s on fire?” he asked with a frown as he stared at her, aware of her reactions, both emotional through their deepened connection and her expressions, “and why I get this weird feeling that I’ve been here before…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She didn’t give him as much of a reaction to the first statement but he definitely got a reaction from the second statement. It was a solid wave of sheer terror. She was scared of him being in this location. He couldn’t help but to wonder why. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s a location from a video game,” she said with a frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>From the miniscule expression and her mental state, she wasn’t completely lying while trying to avoid the topic as her panic starting to ebb.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He took in the sight with a deepening frown, “and from some of my nightmares. What are you not telling me, Ami?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She looked away, unable to look at him before saying, “I… I’m scared, Seph.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He didn’t know if it was the overwhelming terror, not of him, but for him, and just how her voice broke, but he couldn’t resist his immediate reaction. He strode up to her and pulled her into an embrace, hoping that it would chase away her fears. That he could reassure her, give her even a modicum of comfort. He hid his emotions deeply as he noticed that she’d rested her head against his chest as he felt her arms wrap around as much of him as she could reach. He fought against the urge to just stand there and close his eyes and cherish the moment and the feeling.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s why I’m trying to be patient with you and your secrets,” he said gently, knowing that it would be easier if she weren’t so terrified, but comfortable with him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thank you for your patience. It means a lot to me,” she responded as she clearly grew more comfortable.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Can you at least tell me why you’re scared of telling me in more detail this time?” he asked, hoping to not sound demanding, just gentle and curious.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She felt her comfort start to be replaced by more fear, for him. Fear of loss. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What if I told you that I know things that if not shared carefully and compassionately, it could potentially shatter your psyche and cause you to lose your humanity and turn you into a monster or a puppet? I don’t want that. You’re my friend, Seph,” she said, fear in her words as she clung tighter to him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She was afraid of losing him. He’d known of that fear since the last time they’d spoken under the stars. But feeling that from her again did some things to him that he knew was dangerous. It made him want to hold her as close and tightly as he could and never let go, regardless of what Hojo wanted. Regardless that it was precisely what Hojo wanted. He’d already strayed out of bounds with what he’d done. What he’d done and had yet to apologize to her about. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And he really needed to focus and not think about that incident. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He had something more important to focus on. Something as important that she definitely knew something. Or at least believed that she knew things which could shatter his mind if she wasn’t careful. He couldn’t help but to have faith that she would be careful. He couldn’t help but to trust her that she would. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“How exactly do you know of that potentiality? Does it have anything to do with the video game you say this scene is from?” he asked, focusing on the conversation, on her emotions and expressions.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She refused to look up at him, just continued to rest her head against him. He didn’t mind not seeing her expression if it meant keeping her comfortable enough to keep talking. Although he had to acknowledge that his desire to comfort her wasn’t just to tear her secrets from her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes, as well as a potential future version of you is trying to manipulate things to cause you to become that way. He’s been tormenting both of us, me because he thinks it’s amusing, and you because he wants you to fall like he did. I think he wants you to fall so he can take over your body. I chased him off on the ship and tried to fight him.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He blinked and let out the closest to a groan he’d ever allow out of even his mental lips. Not because she’d told him that they had enemies that she’d been hiding from him, but the fact that the enemies included a potential future version of himself and she’d decided to fight the man. She decided to fight a version of him who was incredibly likely to be even stronger than his current self. He was now certain that she wasn’t suffering from a lack of a self-preservation instinct. She was absolutely suicidal and had a clear nose for all the situations which would actually kill her. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And he was terrified that she would wind up killing herself, fully cognizant of the dangers. But more than that, he was finding himself angry at her for this clear drive of hers. Did she even care or know how her death would affect him? When did he become so attached? He disregarded that question, after all, if any of his friends died, it would affect him deeply. It was just the price of friendship. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Can you try to shift us into a different setting? Like my office in Midgar?” he asked, “we’re going to need to have a little chat.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>At the suggestion, their surroundings changed to that of his office exactly. He was impressed by her eye for detail as he took in the mental approximation of his office. And yet, he found it difficult to let go of her. He gave her a slight squeeze before letting go of her, his arms feeling almost cold as he strode to his chair behind his desk and sat down. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He stared at her as she sat down without any direction to do so, leaning just enough forward that he rested his elbows on his desk and intertwined his fingers.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Allow me to unpack everything you just said,” he said, his voice almost monotone, “the fight on the ship which you said earlier was outside your ability to handle was against a potential future version of myself.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He watched as a smirk appeared on her face as he felt her amusement. Something about her fight with a potentially stronger version of him amused her and he started wondering if she had gone insane. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“After I insinuated that he wanted to receive the sexual attention of his mortal enemy that killed him three times already, yes,” she responded, sounding as if she was trying hard not to laugh.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Great Gaia, she was insane</span>
  <b> and</b>
  <span> suicidal. He was absolutely convinced that the greatest threat to her wasn’t Hojo nor was it this other version of him. The greatest threat to her was <strong>herself</strong>. It took all of his willpower to not just put his face in his hands and let out a long, heavy sigh. He was going to need to ask Angeal how to deal with an insane and suicidal mentee.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I know I’m going to regret asking this, but what </span>
  <b>exactly</b>
  <span> were you </span>
  <b>thinking</b>
  <span>?” he asked, hearing his voice nearly growl in restrained anger.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Her amusement dimmed as her smirk turned into a grin that could rival the ones he’d seen on Zack’s face. He just knew that this wasn’t going to be pleasant. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I was thinking that since I was already dead at that point, I might as well have some fun on my way out and die with a smile on my face,” she said far too brightly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He had to admit that it didn’t surprise him, considering that she’d believed that she was about to die from the injury he’d given her and decided to shoot him. All he could do was let out a sigh because if he didn’t, he just might yell or scream at her for being a complete idiot.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And you didn’t think to wake me up and alert me of the potential enemy?” he growled out, “because that’s what you should do every time you think we could be in danger instead of you rushing off to face whatever danger is lying in wait.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He could feel her fear rising along with regret and guilt. She actually felt bad for not informing him. His anger started to dissipate as she reacted, looking down at his desk with a slight frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I didn’t know how you’d react to seeing that thing. I felt that there was a risk that he might sway you to… listen to it and the thing that controls him or that he’s merged with or… it’s very nebulous his relationship to that which he calls ‘Mother’.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He stared at her. She was feeding him her secrets willingly and cautiously, but he was finally getting answers. Clearly something posed as his potential future self’s Mother and controlled said being. He frowned at that information because that… that could happen far too easily. All it required was a name… Jenova… and a lot of supporting evidence. But the other bits were disturbing… being controlled by something? Being merged with something? </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What do you mean by controlled or having merged with something?” he asked with a frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“...and that’s where I start getting uncomfortable sharing. It gets really… not good,” she said, shivering as he got hit by her fear, “because of some potential lies and I still don’t know just how close the story is to reality. Just because the people are very similar to characters in it… I can’t be entirely certain that everything’s exact.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Then don’t speak of them as facts of this world, but facts of the story,” he stated, looking at her, “I can understand that you’re uncertain of the veracity but I’d rather know potential truths than being kept in the dark. I hope you can understand.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He gave her a slight smile, the most of a smile he felt comfortable with, as he felt her fear diminish. Was that hope she was feeling? He wanted her to keep feeling that. She gave him a nod.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“In the story, that version of you… went to a location on a simple mission. Kill some dragons and check on a mako reactor since the people running it went missing. He’d lost everything he cared about and had planned on retiring after that mission. And the reactor’s hidden secret used his already broken mind to its advantage, digging its claws into his mind. Slowly. He found a hidden library and became obsessed on reading everything in it, never stopping to eat, drink, or sleep. For five days. All the while, it kept digging into the newer cracks forming in his psyche. He was convinced that the thing was his Mother. At least that’s my theory. Makes more sense than saying he lost what mind he had left.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And it’s not his Mother?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Not according to the story. Want me to jump to that point?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Please,” he said, feeling that she would rather discuss that than continuing.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hojo and his team excavated a creature that had been sealed away in a rock layer. They believed it was an Ancient, a species of human believed to be extinct and could commune with the planet and lead them to ‘the Promised Land’. It wasn’t. It was a… cancerous space virus which infects a planet, consumes it, and goes to the next planet. And well, Hojo being Hojo, he was more concerned with results than ensuring he knew the facts.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There was something about this story that unsettled him. Something from an old, forgotten memory. And that whispering that he kept picking up, too faint to make out the words. He nodded, hoping that she would continue.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“The main members of the team outside Hojo included Professor Gast Faramis, Hojo’s wife Lucrecia Crescent, and a Turk bodyguard named Vincent Valentine.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He blinked at that. He wasn’t surprised that Gast had been involved. What did was the fact that Hojo had a wife. He couldn’t believe that the man was capable of loving anyone, let alone be loved </span>
  <b>by</b>
  <span> anyone. He almost wanted to meet her just to ask her why she’d ever consent to marry such a man as Hojo.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Something wrong?” she asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Was there something wrong with Lucrecia? Bad eyesight, perhaps? Although that wouldn’t explain being ignorant of the man’s… personality flaws. Perhaps, she didn’t even consent...”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Fans of the story have asked those same questions for decades at this point,” Ami deadpanned with a shrug, “we may never know the answer to those questions. What I do know is that she seemed to drift between her husband and the man she preferred, Vincent. And Vincent clearly loved her to bits. She eventually became pregnant and allowed Hojo to experiment on her unborn child, injecting cells taken from the virus and implanting them into said unborn child. I don’t know her motives in doing so, but that’s what she did in the story.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He could tell that she was growing anxious, reading his own emotional state as deeply as he was doing with her. He didn’t mind it since it made her calmer. If this was the price of admission to her secrets, he was more than happy to pay it. He gave her a nod again, telling her to continue.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“She started to have side-effects. Hallucinations of her unborn child as an adult, murdering innocents and calling forth a meteor to destroy Gaia. She also grew very weak and Vincent tried to stop Hojo. In retaliation, he shot and Vincent and Lucrecia decided to save his life by implanting a materia in him. He was later experimented on and tortured by Hojo, unable to die. He lives in that building still, slumbering and trying to pay for his sins.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She paused again with a frown, her anxiety spiking as she looked away.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What of Lucrecia and her unborn child?” he asked carefully.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He could feel that the next bit of information was important. He needed to know if there was another lost soul, condemned to torture by Hojo’s hands. If there was another like him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Lucrecia gave birth and Hojo took her son away. She was never allowed to hold her son.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Was he given a name?” he asked, feeling his mouth drying on him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes,” she said quietly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t want to play this game with you, Ami,” he said, knowing that he probably sounded like he was about to snap.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“The son was given the name… Sephiroth.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He stared at her. He… if Ami’s stories lined up, then she just told him that he was human, born from human parents. Horribly flawed and, likely in Lucrecia’s case, easily swayed, human parents. He had a potential story of his origins, potential knowledge that he’d been aching for all his life. And it… wasn’t as bad as he’d feared. He’d feared being a test tube baby, no parentage at all, no link to humanity, just a thing constructed. But no, he was human, if Ami’s stories held true. It gave him hope.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thank you,” he said quietly, staring at her, giving her a slight smile, “I really needed to know that. Even if it’s a possibility, even if it may not match exactly. It’s… better than I feared.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But then… if Jenova wasn’t his mother’s name… who or what was Jenova? Was it this ‘space virus’ Ami was talking about? He was willing to let her keep some secrets for now. He’d sated his curiosity for now. More than that, he was content. Content with the information. He wished she’d told him ages ago, but the fact that she gave him the information willingly meant everything to him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So you’re not going to start believing that you’re a god and everyone else are lower than ants?” she asked, definitely a mix of hopeful and amused.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I have enough paperwork as it is and I’m not even Director of SOLDIER,” he commented back in a deadpan.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Once he said that, all of Ami’s fears and anxieties vanished as she smiled at him. He found that he very much preferred that expression on her face. Still, her comment about wanting to be a god told him a lot about at least her story’s version of his future self. The more he heard about his potential future version of himself, the more he was scared. But at the same time, he knew that he had Ami to help him as well as his friends. He found his curiosity piqued with just one more question.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What’s on your mind, Seph?” she asked, tilting her head at him with a slight frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Just…” he said trailing off before saying, “I think it’s my turn to be scared.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Because in another chain of events, you either went insane or became controlled by the virus?” she asked, getting a nod before she said, “I’ve already prevented a lot of the cracks the virus used to get to you. And now since I’ve given you the closest to the truth as I know it and not whatever Hojo wanted you to know, you’re unlikely to go down the same path.” She then gave him a smile, “besides, I won’t let you fall like that.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He nodded to her, feeling tired since he had no idea how much time he’d spent sleeping before he woke up and dove in her dream. Before he could speak, he found himself no longer sitting behind his desk in his office but sitting on the edge of a bed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I can tell that you’re exhausted,” she said with a frown, approaching him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She was now wearing her usual nightwear - a pair of shorts and a t-shirt and practically dove into the bed next to him before pulling him into the bed. He didn’t bother fighting against her and instead chuckled. He understood that she was worried and concerned about him. He curled himself around her before allowing himself to drift away in sleep.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : : .</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Author’s Note: 2/18/21</p><p>It was while I was in the middle of this chapter when I found out that my Aunt had passed away. I’ll try to keep up some buffer while processing things. I admit that as I’m writing this Author’s Note, I’m still in the stages of shock. My aunt and I used to joke that we were so similar that it was just funny. I just wish that I did a better job at taking care of her (even though I have to admit that the amount I did to take care of her was to the detriment of my mental health). I just need to remember my philosophy that people in one’s life exist to teach you lessons and that when they leave, it means that either you’ve learned all their lessons they can give and/or it’s time to learn the lesson you can take from their absence. But analysis must wait for the pain to lessen. </p><p>Everything up to Ami’s nightmare/dream was written earlier this month. </p><p>I honestly wasn’t expecting Ami to tell Seph about his origins according to the games, but he wrung it out of her and she tried real hard to be gentle and compassionate about things. It's one of those things that's going to mess with plans/future scenes but the characters forced it and it doesn't feel right to prevent/remove/change. It happened organically and character is more important than vaguely tenuous ideas. As for Sephiroth's reaction to this information, I figure she was gentle enough and he accepts it as a potential rather than absolute until he could find supporting evidence. </p><p>He’s also quite certain that Ami is going to get herself killed if left unsupervised. She might not even be aware she’s making quite dangerous decisions. </p><p>And yes, simple human psychology is working against Seph and Ami. I mean, both have had very lonely lives before and she winds up being able to telepathically communicate with him, shattering their lives-long loneliness... it's a guarantee that a deep relationship would grow in those conditions. It also doesn't help that they're both touch starved. </p><p>Laters!<br/>~Gregora</p><p>Next Time on BtV: Sephiroth and Ami deal with the consequences of their conversation, Ami goes through her assigned duties in the medical tent, Sephiroth gets his hair taken care of and Ami suffers through a traumatic event.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0035"><h2>35. Moving Plot Along and Traumatizing Events</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Sephiroth and Ami deal with the consequences of their conversation, Ami goes through her assigned duties in the medical tent, Sephiroth gets his hair taken care of and Ami suffers through a traumatic event.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Also, I need feedback and lots of since I know I’m not perfect and if things don’t mesh or match up, I’d like to know how to fix it. Anyways, on with the story!</p><p>Trigger Warning: Injury, blood, implied rape, results of rape, guilt</p><p>Author's Warning: This chapter involves a character getting raped, but it isn't shown. I will place bolded asterisks surrounding the scenes with the most troublesome content.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Chapter Thirty-Two</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When Ami woke up, she frowned. She remembered the nightmare of Jenova’s puppet Sephiroth taunting her in the burning village of Nibelheim and that she dreamed that she had a very important discussion with Seph and then… she didn’t remember. But what was it that she discussed with him? She shook off, believing that it must not have been important or that it might not have been with the actual Seph. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘It </span>
    <b>was</b>
    <span> a discussion with </span>
    <b>me</b>
  </em>
  <span><em>,’</em> his voice echoed in her head with a sense of bemused warmth, <em>‘good morning.’</em></span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She couldn’t keep the smile off her face at the light mental touch. She hadn’t realized just how much he was a part of her life until she experienced his absence. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span><em>‘Good morning,’</em> she responded as she continued with her morning routine, <em>‘how are you feeling?’</em></span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘I’m displeased with my current muscular weakness and I’m still required to stay in bed with an active regen field. Besides those irritants, I feel almost like I’ve been reborn. Or perhaps, it’s because I’ve got some leads to a mystery that’s been plaguing me all my life.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She stopped in the middle of her Tai Chi routine, frozen in fear. Just what did she tell him? Since she was dreaming, she was likely to have lowered inhibitions. Worse was that she didn’t remember their discussion, just that it started with him looking like he was going to reprimand her and then… he grilled her for information without pressing, without causing her distress. He’d been gentle, yes, but she felt something else. Yes, that’s what she felt - manipulated and used.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Ami? What’s wrong?’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘You took advantage of me being in a dream state, with lowered inhibitions. Just to get answers that you sought.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘I didn’t force you to answer my questions. You answered willingly.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Because I didn’t have the sense to stop myself. I wasn’t awake enough to keep my wits about me. And you took advantage of that. Do you understand why I’m upset?’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘If the tides were turned, I would not be bothered. I apologize for having caused you distress. I knew that your displeasure was a potential outcome and hoped that you’ll forgive me.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Seph, you’re really pushing my boundaries too much. I understand that I needed you to keep me from opening my big mouth to the Colonel. If anything, I appreciated that in hindsight once I calmed down. But this… I feel manipulated, like you took advantage of my trust in you.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘I acknowledge that my actions have come across in that manner and I apologize.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘I want you to specify what you’re apologizing for and what you will do in order to prevent this from happening a second time, Seph.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘If my understanding is correct, apologizing requires a feeling of guilt or regret. I don’t regret having found out my potential origin. I regret that I’ve hurt you in doing so.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘You really don’t understand, do you? I’ve kept my secrets because I don’t want a repeat of what happened during the previous timeline.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘I understand your fear that I’d surrender to this ‘alien virus’, but I don’t have the motives to do so and its whispers are unintelligible. In fact, I have more reasons to fight against it than I do to succumb to it. One of which is because that possibility frightens you. Now that I have some individuals to research, I can try to verify whether the events you shared concerning my birth is accurate.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span><em>‘I told you about Lucrecia, didn’t I?’</em> she asked over the connection with a frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘And told me that I was human and not something manufactured in a test tube. I appreciate that you told me, I simply wish that you’d told me sooner. I could have done the research easier in Midgar.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘If not for the psychic hazard, I’d say that a real fast way of getting answers would be from Vincent himself, who might also be your father.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Psychic hazard?’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘So I didn’t really go into details concerning the virus, did I?’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Not particularly. I felt that I’d gotten enough information from you at the time.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘It’s more than just something that consumes life on planets. It can also shapeshift and is telepathic. In the stories, one of Hojo’s hypotheses he tested is that cells from the virus are attracted together and/or are attracted to the main body. In this case, she poses a psychic hazard to you.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘You’re telepathic too.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘And I know you can break me free from her grasp. If all else fails, you’d be able to put me down.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span><em>‘That’s not acceptable,’</em> he sent, the message containing a sort of protective and concerned anger as she knew that had they been verbally speaking and he wasn’t in his current state, he’d have likely clung to her as he’d done when she’d gotten anxious about their already far too close relationship. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span><em>‘I’m expendable,’</em> she responded calmly, <em>‘you’re not.’</em></span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘...Do you truly believe that? Do you honestly consider yourself as expendable?’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘I’ve allowed myself to become a weapon long before we met. Weapons are to be replaced. It’s just the nature of things. It’s what I chose to become. It’s definitely a step up from ‘mistake’.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span><em>‘You’re neither of those things, Ami. Not to me. And you are not expendable,’</em> he sent, clear protectiveness being sent alongside the message, <em>‘however, I have a request of you and I’m aware that you may not be receptive to requests from me. I need to know if I did anything that you may consider untoward or would create erroneous beliefs concerning our friendship.’</em></span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘...are you asking if you really did kiss me?’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Yes and I wish to apologize. I was delirious from dehydration, starvation, and hypothermia. If I were in better shape, I would not have done such an action. I never have done such a thing before.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She could feel her face heating up at the memory of The Kiss. She was almost thankful that she wasn’t physically around him and his keen senses. <em>‘If that’s his first kiss… and people tend to get better at things with experience…’</em> she thought, believing that her thought was deep enough to not be overheard.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘...so it doesn’t bother you? That I kissed you?’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Only insofar that it just… it’s another of those things that are signs of us becoming too close. You don’t need to apologize for that, Seph. You were probably very happy to see me, not that I could see any other physical signs considering you were really cold.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Probably the reason you didn’t die of embarrassment on the spot or stared at me until Zack arrived.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘No. The reason I didn’t is because I had a friend I care about who needed my help more than I needed to stare at his naked body, at least the parts that were hit by the moonlight. I need to focus on my morning routine now, okay? Then I’ll go see you.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Bring the laptop. I need to get some work done if I’m going to be stuck in a cot all day.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After breakfast, Ami had been informed that the Colonel had given her additional duties in said tent as a punishment. With the laptop in hand as ordered by Sephiroth, she prepared herself for her punishment. When she walked in, she saw that there was a commotion as she heard a familiar voice counting.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You need to listen to the medics and stop this madness, Sephiroth,” Angeal said, definitely in a commanding tone.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re wasting your breath, Angeal. You know how he gets when in one of his stubborn moods,” Genesis said with a sigh.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And all through that, she heard Seph’s voice calmly counting in a regular rhythm.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m glad you’re here,” one of the medics said, “I need you to help us with our highest priority patient.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“My mentor, I’m guessing?” she asked with some amusement since there were few patients but hardly any of them seemed to need as much critical care as Seph looked like he needed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He doesn’t listen to us when it comes to needing to rest,” the medic said with a frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She merely rolled her eyes. Yep, that sounded like her mentor. But it wasn’t like she didn’t understand why he was like that. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ll see if I could get him in line,” she said with a smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She moved over to where Genesis and Angeal were, seeing Sephiroth doing push-ups and was starting to struggle.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I got the laptop, boss,” she said, holding it up in a hand, “I’m sure the medics would prefer if you were working on paperwork than pushing yourself into becoming more injured.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘You’re concerned.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Just worried you’re pushing yourself too soon.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘I understand and appreciate your concern however, I must get back into my previous state as soon as I can lest I run the risk of Hojo finding out and pulling us both back to Midgar. Need I remind you that we got sent here to avoid his retaliation?’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She paused before being amused <em>‘think he’s discovered all of the gifts we left him by now?’</em></span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Absolutely, but he is one who would hold a grudge. It is inevitable that we will suffer through his retaliation. I wish to delay that as long as I can. Until I’m ready to deal with him.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She saw him shakily stand up before crawling into the cot and getting himself comfortable.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Laptop please,” he stated, holding a hand out for it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Life got into a new routine for a few days after that. Sephiroth, despite his opinions on the matter, remained in the medical tent under a regen field. Ami stayed at his side, half because of her friendship and half because she had extra duties in said medical tent. Every chance she got, whenever she saw his regen field start to dim, she’d recharge the field, even when the medics were saying it wasn’t her shift.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sephiroth, not liking the disheveled state of his hair, requested the camp barber to do the best he could to salvage his appearance. Ami had watched as his hair was cut shorter in the back while his fringe got a trim, almost despairing for the loss of his curtain of silver hair which had been destroyed before he could be rescued. He wasn’t exactly enthused, but he wanted to have his hair look presentable until the rest could grow back in. He knew it meant years with hair shorter than he had since he joined SOLDIER. Hair as short as what he’d been forced to have when he lived in the labs. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So, how do I look?” he asked when the barber had finished.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Amazing!” Zack exclaimed, “I was worried there when the hair started getting cut that you’d look weird with shorter hair or --”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s best you stop talking there, puppy,” Angeal chided with a chuckle before turning to him, “what we think isn’t as important as what you think or feel, Seph. Personally, I think you look fine. Even if there’s people out there who will mourn the hair.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I think you’re lucky Sephy, you clearly have the gift of the Goddess since you clearly can pull off the short hair look just as well as your old look,” Genesis said with a smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ami could feel everyone’s attention sift to her as she just sat there. She had an answer but didn’t feel comfortable giving it. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ami?” she heard Seph ask. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m going to miss doing your hair,” she said quietly, not wanting to tell him that he was pretty with the long hair but with short hair, she thought he was gorgeous. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m going to go do some training by myself, if that’s okay,” she said, looking over at Zack who was still poking at his dinner.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Angeal and Genesis had already left to make sure that Seph wasn’t giving the medics too much grief, leaving them behind in the Mess. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Don’t see any problems with that,” he said with a nod before she gave him directions to where she was going to be.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As she walked through the far too early night for her liking, Ami would realize in hindsight that she’d gotten far too comfortable in the belief that Genesis’s threats of fiery vengeance had scared the infantrymen. She hadn’t bothered to think or realize that it just made them more cautious rather than make them surrender. And above all, she hadn’t expected them to have and use materia. She didn’t know what hit her as her body stopped moving suddenly and she was quickly surrounded and carried off into the nearby forest.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘HELP!’ </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sephiroth jumped at the mental scream which battered at his mind. He recognized it as being from Ami and his blood ran cold. He immediately reached for the connection.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>‘Where are you? What’s going on?’ he immediately sent.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He caught a glimpse, only a few moments. It was cold, dark, there the sounds of male voices laughing. She was being carried, hands on each of her extremities which refused to work. She couldn’t even move her head. </span>
</p><p>
  <strong>***</strong>
</p><p>
  <span>“We found this neat spot,” one of the men said, “with a nice log with your name on it. Should make sure you’re in prime position for what we’re gonna do. Ya know what we’re gonna do? I’ll tell ya, since you’re playing along so sweetly. We’re going to pin your arms to the nice log we found with your nice swords and we’re going to use your holes until the lifestream takes ya. Then we’ll make it look like some monster or Shinobi got to ya. And your mentor won’t know what happened.”</span>
</p><p>
  <strong>***</strong>
</p><p>
  <span>His blood went cold and boiled at the same time as Zack walked into the medical tent.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Where’s Ami?” he asked Zack, knowing that Ami was last seen in Zack’s company.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“She said she wanted to go practice some things by herself,” the teen said with a shrug, “I didn’t see a problem with that.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Genesis merely shrugged, “she can take care of herself. Sides, they stopped harassing her when I threatened to melt their faces and dicks off if they didn’t behave.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Genesis, you can’t threaten Infantrymen, even if they deserve it,” Angeal said with a sigh.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“How do we know you didn’t force them to temporarily retreat and consider more extreme ideas?” he asked, keeping his tone from becoming too angry.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Zack, do you know where exactly she was going?” Angeal asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, she told me about the clearing she and Seph were using for sparring and training. Want me to go check on her?” Zack asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Please,” Angeal responded.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>‘We’re going to find you,’ he sent at her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Her response was felt keenly as he swore he was being stabbed in both of his arms, between the ulna and radius. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Are you okay, Seph?” Angeal asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I just have a bad feeling,” he said with a frown as he tried not to overhear his friends’ deeper thoughts.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>With his friends, he felt that it was okay to overhear their surface thoughts, the bits of thoughts that bubbled up. He enjoyed the different flavors of thoughts. Angeal’s mind and thoughts were serene, the surface thoughts gentle murmurs at most times unless upset. It was like a quiet stream. Genesis’s were loud and dramatic, demanding his attention. And Zack’s… it was almost amazing how he never needed to use this ability on Zack since whatever bubbled up usually was directed to his mouth in mere seconds. Zack was honest like that and it was what he had to admit he liked most about the Puppy. And sometimes, it was the quality that annoyed him the most.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And Genesis’s thoughts had become loud enough that he couldn’t ignore them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>‘Bad feeling? Pretty sure something’s up considering what Ami said. If she was being honest about the whole telepathy thing, she probably just called at him for help and he’s wasting time making it look like he didn’t just hear her cry out to him.’</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He had to smother a nervous twitch. Exactly how much did Ami tell Genesis? And what did she tell Genesis? He had the feeling he was going to need to have a chat with Genesis soon. Perhaps, it would be best if it was a private chat with everyone. Still, it didn’t sit well with him that she clearly trusted Genesis to the point of sharing at least one very sensitive secret, one which even he hadn’t told his friends about.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But what didn’t sit well was the fact that he had to wait, knowing that Ami was suffering through the worst thing a man could do to anyone. It got to him so he waved for one of the medics’ attention.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I require the paperwork to be discharged under my own power,” he stated with a frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No need, sir. We were going to discharge you in a few hours’ time. We can just start on the process now,” the medic said with a smile and started to take care of his IV.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He was almost fully prepped to change into his normal uniform when Zack walked in with a slight frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, she wasn’t there. Or in the tent. Could she have wandered off?” Zack asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That would have been a red flag as he allowed himself to frown before saying, “I’d always kept Ami within my sight.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“She always comes to me to let me know whenever she was going elsewhere than where she’d said she was going, with the exception of one time,” Genesis said with a frown of his own, “she said that it was for security so that at least one person knew where she was at all times. One of her ‘safety rules’.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We’re going to need to look for her then. Treat it as a search and rescue,” Angeal said with a frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“There’s enough of us to cover each of the cardinal directions within the perimeter. If she’s outside the perimeter, we’d at least be able to hear something. She wouldn’t leave the perimeter willingly,” he said with a frown, “I’ll take the southern quadrant. Zack, I want you to go east. Angeal, west. Genesis, north. If anyone hears or sees anything that requires backup, we use our usual radio channel.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He saw his friends nod before leaving. Once the medics were done with him, they left him in a curtain enclosed space and he got dressed. He hated how his usually perfectly fitted, if not slightly snug, clothing was far too loose on him. Once he had Masamune on his person, he strode out of the tent before bolting, heading for his search area. He doubted that the men who took Ami would be within the perimeter so he searched further into the forest before hearing sounds which sounded like what he was looking for.</span>
</p><p>
  <strong>***</strong>
</p><p>
  <span>At least until the sounds changed in type, turning into screams of pain and terror, but all of the voices sounded male. Before he could approach, he was nearly caught in a stampede of men who were zipping up their pants. They all stopped immediately at his glare.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You need to save us, sir. Your student’s gone insane,” one of them begged.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He recognized the man’s voice as the one who’d gloated to Ami. All around the men were scents he didn’t like, entirely because he knew the implication. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Why would my student cross the perimeter, I wonder?” he asked, “I know she follows even the basic rules and ensures that her location is never in question. Last I heard, she was going to the clearing she and I use for training, where she isn’t.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He heard the men's pulses rise at his question as he tapped out a code on the radio, his right hand hidden so that the men wouldn’t notice what he was doing. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We tried to stop her from crossing, sir. And now she’s going to kill us!” another man exclaimed as a fireball went wide and hit the tree next to the man who’d gloated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He was well aware that her accuracy was better than that, meaning it was on purpose. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I am going to kill the rest of you too,” Ami said, her voice a cold, quiet monotone as he heard her approach, “if you’re lucky, I’ll kill you as quickly as the others. Spreading out like you did would have worked if you were faster than I am and if you were more numerous.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He also know how quickly she could move. She was doing this deliberately. Was she doing to them what they did to her? All he knew was that he couldn’t form a mental connection with her and he wasn’t entirely certain what her emotional state was, but it couldn’t be pleasant.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I believe it is in your best interest to leave some witnesses,” he called out to Ami. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Seph? What are you doing here? You… you should go back to the medical tent. I… don’t want to… I don’t want you to see this…” her voice became almost hysterical as her quiet monotone shattered as he noticed that her usual footfalls were different, her gait was different. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He could also hear two sets of feet approach, one set coming from the east and one coming from the west as she came into view from behind some brush. Her uniform was in tatters, already looking like some monster had attacked her and her forearms bled continuously. She winced with every uncertain step, her legs wider than normal. And she refused to look at him. In each hand, she held her twin swords, the blades dripping with blood. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh gods,” he heard Angeal mutter in shock before barreling in and grabbing one of the men by their suspenders and roughly slamming their back against a tree just hard enough to cause the man to whimper, “what did you do?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ami…” he heard Zack call out quietly. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry guys,” Ami said quietly, “I… I should probably go wash up.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You are going to the medical tent and we are going to file a full incident report with both Lazard and Heidegger,” he stated, knowing his tone was harsh but not caring, “and the medics will collect evidence for the incident report and this is going to stop. I will impress upon Lazard that unless Heidegger can ensure the safety of all SOLDIER operatives, regardless of gender, within Infantry camps, SOLDIER will need their own camps within Wutai. If Heidegger wants to sweep it under the rug, Lazard can still act to protect others. This is on me for not doing more, Ami.”</span>
</p><p>
  <strong>***</strong>
</p><p>
  <span>He saw her start to sway and ran to catch her before she passed out. Once he settled her in his arms, careful not to cause her more pain than what she was already forced to deal with, he turned towards camp, seeing Genesis approach. He saw Ami’s state and glared at the men, holding both of his hands in front of him as fire materialized above his palms. He passed by Genesis as he carried Ami away from the scene, doing precisely as he’d said he’d do. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“How. Dare. You.” he growled out in anger.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Genesis,” Angeal commanded, having let go of the infantryman at some point, “there are more important things to focus on right now. Zack, go get a crowd of MPs. Tell them that there’s a group of people here who need to be held for the time being.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That was the last that Sephiroth heard from the scene as he hurried towards the medical tent, hoping that Ami’s bleeding would abate soon.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As Ami drifted awake, she expected to be in a lot more pain, considering what she remembered having happened. At the thought of that, images came unbidden, causing her to curl up and whimper as she tried to force them away. A gentle mental touch shoved the images away as she felt a hand rest on her cheek.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>‘I’m sorry I’ve failed to protect you again,’ she heard him say in her head as she could pick up on his shame, remorse, and guilt.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She sighed, relaxing at the feel of the thumb gently stroking her cheekbone. It felt nice to her, reassuring, gentle. It was a touch that promised security and compassion. She opened her eyes, seeing that Seph was sitting in a folding chair next to her cot.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Can’t seem to escape this tent, huh?” she asked, trying to smile but feeling like the best she could do was a weak smirk.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“How are you feeling?” he asked quietly, not looking into her eyes, barely even looking at her face.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Better than expected physically. Last time something that rough happened, I was sore for a few days,” she said with a slight smirk, knowing that Seph knew what her mental and emotional state was, but unable to resist the feeling of being safe and secure in his presence.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I know what you went through is terrible,” he said gently, “but I can’t send in an incident report without having the whole story and we are on a deadline.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She nodded as she looked away from him. What did she feel? Her emotions were hard to touch, distant. All but one. Guilt. She felt guilty. She could have done more. She could have just stayed with Zack and head back to hang out with her friends. That’s what she should have done. More importantly, she could have done something to prevent getting hit by or affected by the Stop materia. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry,” she said quietly, “I… I failed you. I… should have prevented getting hit by the Stop materia.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She felt the thumb stroking her cheekbone tremble as she kept herself from looking at him. She didn’t want to see his expression of disgust because she’d been clumsy and weak. Because she couldn’t even protect herself. What kind of SOLDIER was she if she couldn’t avoid what had happened? And she was supposed to be his mentee, his student. And she obviously didn’t even measure up. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You didn’t,” he said quietly, “you didn’t fail me. If anyone failed someone, it would be me failing you. I allowed too much to pass. Furthermore, when you needed me the most, I wasn’t there for you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Through their mental connection, she felt his guilt and remorse. That he held himself responsible for allowing things to reach this point. She forced her eyes to travel to him, to gaze upon him. Instead of seeing disgust and disappointment, she saw sadness, even if it was just subtle. It was easier to read his expressions when she knew what the man was feeling. She reached out to touch his cheek the same way he was touching her’s, noticing that her forearm was covered in gauze. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When her hand reached his cheek, he closed his eyes and leaned into the touch. His emotions started to ebb and change into something less focused inwards, less pained. There was something about his reaction that made her feel almost sad and she couldn’t put her finger on it. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I think if we allowed ourselves to, we’d be arguing over which one of us should take the blame and feel guilty. When really, it wasn’t truly our fault is it? We can’t control the actions of others. I think this was going to come to a head and boil over regardless. I think… the sexual harassment I was being subjected to was a pressure valve and this was going to happen anyways, the question was when. And I think Heidegger is more at fault than you are because he created the atmosphere for things like this to happen. He has the power to ensure that things stopped at the sexual harassment phase but he didn’t want to.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He merely nodded slowly and gently, clearly not wanting to shake her hand off of his cheek. She knew her words were getting through to him as his emotions started to settle. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What details do you need to know exactly for the incident report?” she asked after a moment of silence.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“There’s just one final detail I require. How did you manage to break free?” he asked gently.</span>
</p><p>
  <strong>***</strong>
</p><p>
  <span>The image came unbidden to her mind. All the pain that was radiating through her body and her fight to keep from revealing that the Stop effect was expiring. All she needed to do was wait until she gained just enough control… within moments, she pulled her arms free from where they’d been pinned by her own swords, hilts pressed up against her forearms. In a rage, she pulled the blades free from her arms and started going after those who’d harmed her or had intended to harm her. Morality wasn’t important. Mercy was far from her mind. She needed vengeance, pure and simple. She needed to see them bleed and be taken away by the lifestream. </span>
</p><p>
  <strong>***</strong>
</p><p>
  <span>Her rational mind had whispered that in death, they wouldn’t harm anyone anymore. That in death, will they see justice. People like them had ruined her childhood. She’d ruin their lives by ending them. Gaia would be better off without such pests on her surface. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The memory shattered at that last thought. She felt sick to her stomach and it had nothing to do with what those things who looked like human males did to her. It was because she wasn’t entirely certain.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Was that really her own thought? Her own belief?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Was that really her rational mind whispering to her?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Or did Jenova just dug one of her claws into her mind in a moment of trauma?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ami, I need you to focus on my voice,” she heard him say, his voice so distant, “I need you to take some deep breaths. Inhale.” There was a pause as she forced air into her lungs. “Exhale,” she heard him say as she slowly allowed the air out. “I know you’re scared. So am I.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She felt herself being lifted by strong arms before feeling completely safe and warm. She closed her eyes and relaxed into the feeling of safety. She was safe. She relaxed so much that she fell asleep again.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : : .</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Author’s Note: 2/21/21</p><p>So this was a thing. Some of it was inspired by how there’s a lot of sexual harassment and horrible stuff aimed at women in male-dominated spaces. Rest is because my mind is a horrible place some times and I wanted to torment Ami. I felt that I wanted to show Gaia in terms closer to reality and that horrible event is a part of human nature, a really dark and horrible part, but we can’t always focus on the good parts without acknowledging the bad. </p><p>Laters!<br/>~Gregora</p><p>Next Time on BtV: In response to issues involving the Infantry and SOLDIER, Lazard has set up SOLDIER-only camps and called Sephiroth and Ami back to Midgar. Hojo is prepared to welcome back two of his more stubborn specimens. What does he have in store for them?</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0036"><h2>36. In Which Hojo Gets His Vengeance</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Sephiroth and Ami are called back to Midgar. Hojo is prepared to welcome back two of his more stubborn specimens. What does he have in store for them?</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Disclaimer: I don’t own squat except for Ami. I’m just playing in Square-Enix’s sandbox, yo. Also, I need feedback and lots of since I know I’m not perfect and if things don’t mesh or match up, I’d like to know how to fix it. Anyways, on with the story!</p><p>Trigger Warning: medical stuff, implied rape, medical horror</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Chapter Thirty-Three</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As Ami packed up the last of her gear, she wouldn’t call what she felt sadness. She was glad to finally leave the Infantry camp and be around other SOLDIERs. At least there, she was commonly referred to as ‘Little Sister’ and would have better meals than whatever the hell the Mess dished up and called food. She hated the many nights of almost wishing she could just die so she wouldn’t wake up in the morning and go through the same tortures. At least until she spent the nights cuddled up to Seph. That was the only thing she knew that she was going to miss. Once they returned to Midgar, they would be sleeping on opposite sides of the same floor with walls between them. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She stepped out of the tent and set her duffel next to his still opened duffel, likely because they still needed to pack away the tent. They pulled out the furniture that the camp had issued them and set said furniture next to their duffels. It was only then, when the tent was completely empty and then swept clean, did they go about breaking down the tent and packed it up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They worked together wordlessly, her following the directions he’d given her all that time when they’d been camping out between Midgar and Junon. It almost felt like a lifetime ago, even if it had been two months ago at most. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They were ready to go long before the helicopter was. The two of them stood side to side on the edge of the field, waiting silently. Both had on grim faces as they tried to hide their fear.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They’d been called back to Midgar.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And worse, Hojo was ready for them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>One of the things Hojo hated was when someone broke something of his. When he’d seen the reports from the field hospital following his prized specimen’s rescue from those Wutai simpletons, he’d been incensed. The specimen was perfect and now, it was broken. And it was up to him to fix his prized specimen.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But of course, it wasn’t just his beloved masterpiece which had gotten itself broken, but also the female. He’d gotten his hands on the incident report filed and made it clear to Heidegger that his brutes weren’t worthy of even being in the presence of the two specimens, let alone to do such unsavory things. He was going to need sure that the female was completely cleaned from the encounter. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He had his personal lab prepared, thankful that he’d managed to get everything back together after that fiasco. How dare his masterpiece and his minions do such things to him! The boy should learn to respect him after all he’d done to make sure that it was absolutely perfect. And it thanked him for his hard work at making it perfect by wrecking his lab, his office, and even his personal restroom! </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He couldn’t help but to remember that horrible day, after getting off the call with the boy who kept saying that it was innocent. How when the balloons were removed, there were sticky notes covering everything in the room, floor to literal ceiling. He had to get a ladder to get to the sticky notes on the ceiling. He’d let out a sigh, thinking that it was all over and sat down at his desk, only to have the chair fall to pieces the moment he’d put his weight on said chair.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Would have been nice if the worthless Turks could have opened up an investigation to give him the needed evidence to know that it had been the boy who’d done such juvenile things. Juvenile things that it should have the sense to never do, it knew better than to waste its time with such things. Perfected weapons like his masterpiece have no need for stooping that low. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The only reasons he could think of for this error, this corruption, were the people the boy surrounded itself with. He’d been combatting the corruption they’ve infected his masterpiece with for years now. He feared that unless something happened and soon, the corruption would reach the point that the boy would be useless, a broken specimen, a failed experiment. And he’d gotten so far, having perfected it and was about to progress to the next stage when Hollander’s failures showed up. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He was going to have to deal with Hollander’s failures soon before the corruption progressed further.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The same corruption kept his masterpiece from performing a simple command, one he’d given almost three months prior. It wasn’t hard to inseminate a female. Even he’d done so. So why couldn’t his masterpiece? Ah, yes. Because his previously perfect masterpiece was corrupted. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>No matter. With the right words, the right requests, the right actions, Hollander’s failures would no longer be around to continually infect and corrupt his prized specimen. And once it followed his orders and impregnated the female, he would no longer have to concern himself with the potential of corruption via said female. The longer it dallied, the more he would have to work to clean up all the infections, all the corruption.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He could work on dealing with Hollander’s failures while the two specimens would be in his possession.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The two mako tanks were ready for the specimens, sitting next to each other so he could test out a hypothesis. He wanted to see what would happen if the two were unconscious and suspended in mako within mere feet of each other. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Professor, the specimens have arrived at the building and are enroute,” a semi-useful assistant told him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He’d ensured that everything was set to his specifications. Everything was perfect and ready.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The elevator’s bell rang out and the door parted and he saw the two specimens. They both looked tired and weary. If his mind were weak like most of the nitwits on Gaia, he’d feel sympathetic. But he was better than that. He always had been. He did notice that his masterpiece had elected for a less ridiculous hair style. It had been too long since the boy had the sense to keep his hair reasonable.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“The two of you are to remove your clothing and enter the pods,” he instructed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The female looked as apprehensive as always as his masterpiece worked on undoing the belts that held its long coat closed at its waist. The female was always stubborn and required more effort to force it to obey. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“There’s nothing wrong with me,” the female said with a frown as his masterpiece shrugged out of its long coat and set it neatly on a nearby table that he’d set up for just that purpose. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I saw the incident report sent to Lazard and Heidegger,” he stated, “you likely suffered injuries that has yet to fully heal.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m not doing that,” the female said, crossing her arms.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He saw his masterpiece give the female a glance as it removed the stomach guard, bearing its torso. The female merely let out a sigh and stomped her right foot before rolling her eyes. His masterpiece simply continued to remove its clothing by slipping its gloves off and setting them on top of the stomach guard. The female groaned in clear frustration as the other specimen started to remove its boots. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’ve gotta be kidding me,” the female groaned, “I’m still not doing it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ami…” his masterpiece growled as its left boot was removed, “yes, you are.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And I suppose you’ll make me?” the female asked, crossing its arms in front of it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“If I have to strip you of clothing myself,” his masterpiece said in a low tone, working to free his right foot from the boot.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Try it.” The female challenged, staring right at his masterpiece, frowning.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Very well,” his masterpiece said as his right boot was removed and set aside, leaving his feet covered by socks.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Seriously?” the female squeaked, backing away from his masterpiece, staring at it as if it was a deadly threat.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You know I’m not one to back down from a challenge. Even if the challenge is a very stubborn mentee who won’t listen to orders,” his masterpiece stated, prowling towards the female. “I don’t understand why you’re being stubborn about this. I’ve seen you naked before. Everyone on this floor likely has seen you naked. You’re making it to be a bigger problem than it needs to be.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The female stopped and looked down at the floor, appearing to be sad before quietly saying, “it… it’s too soon… I… I’m still… mentally sore… from what happened.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I understand. However, you need to acknowledge that we don’t have a choice in this matter. Are there accommodations that could be made to make you feel more comfortable with this?” his masterpiece asked, showing far more emotion than it should.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>More signs of corruption that needs to be eradicated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“If I could put on a gown like before… that might help. And if no one watches.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Professor, would that be a sufficient compromise?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“This time is different. The gown may impede things and I refuse to run that risk,” he stated, “if the female is too weak to accomplish a simple task, then perhaps it’s a failure and should be dealt with appropriately.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He noticed that something came over his prized specimen. He’d never seen it twitch like it was doing. It stood rigid, unmoving other than a twitch in its left hand. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Please,” he heard his prized specimen whisper at the female.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry,” the female said, reaching to grab his masterpiece’s left hand with its right and intertwined their fingers together, “I’ll do as I’m told.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He wasn’t entirely thrilled by how the female treated his masterpiece. He’d seen human women do such things with their men. And the female was showing more weakness and infecting his masterpiece with its own weakness. He was starting to believe that it may be a good idea to separate the two and just implant fertilized eggs into her. It would definitely be more efficient.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The main problem is that since it was now a SOLDIER and assigned to his masterpiece, he would have to force Lazard to remove it from the SOLDIER database and remove its rank and position. As his masterpiece clearly enjoys reminding him, he has little control over SOLDIERs outside what is deemed necessary for him to have.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Fortunately, the two specimens returned to the mako pod area. His masterpiece worked on removing its socks as the female removed its harness and stomach guard. He saw the female’s reaction as his masterpiece removed its leather trousers, which involved it blushing and averting its eyes as it tried to hide its clear embarrassment by pulling its sleeveless knit uniform top over its head to remove it. Fascinating.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He understood the female’s embarrassment as a sign that it was attracted to his masterpiece. Perhaps, the situation could be manipulated as such to turn it into a victory. Yes, perhaps. If Heidegger hadn’t forced the President into forcing him to relinquish the female, he’d have more control over the situation. Apparently, his fellow Director would rather have a female SOLDIER than many second generation Project S SOLDIERs in little more than a decade. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>By the time the female’s face was uncovered and it was working on removing its boots, his masterpiece had removed the last scrap of fabric from its body. He looked over his once-perfect specimen that was now broken, seeing just how much muscle mass it had lost. He was still looking over his broken specimen when he heard a small squeaking sound coming from the direction of the female.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The female was staring at his broken specimen, its face a deep red that made him wonder if the Female had a health issue. Perhaps he should get the female in the pod first before his broken masterpiece. The IV lines were ready for connection already, all that he needed to do was connect them to the female, place the breathing apparatus on the female, and lock it in. Once he could get the female to finish removing its clothing.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Your clothing,” he stated pointedly, “needs to go. You’re taking too long.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Perhaps it’s best for me to be prepared first,” his broken masterpiece stated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hojo merely nodded and went about the normal preparations his masterpiece required. He went about the typical process of inserting an IV into his masterpiece’s right hand. His masterpiece wasn’t like the female and only needed one IV. He motioned for the broken specimen to enter the pod before he pulled down the line for the nasogastric feeding tube. The specimen would require nutrients during the muscle rebuilding process and the tube would ensure that it would get exactly what was required. Said specimen followed his instructions perfectly, drinking sips of water on request. It hadn’t been the first time it required such things. Once set, there was one last thing he was going to need to set up, which was a catheter. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Once the specimen was ready, it was all a matter of sealing the door and starting up the initialization protocols. The specimen appeared to have fallen asleep before the pod was even half full. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I hope you’re not putting half of that in me,” the female said with a frown, having removed its clothing while he’d been connecting his favorite specimen up to everything it was going to need.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hardly. Just four IVs and a breathing mask,” he stated with a frown, “the same setup as last time.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It merely sighed before stepping into the pod. The female appeared to be adjusting to the idea of the mako pods as it was far more easier to work with than the previous time. He went through the process of connecting four different IV lines, each going to a different limb. Once the breathing mask was in place, he sealed the door and also started up the pod’s initialization protocols.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>10.25.0000 - Day One report and assessment</b>
</p><p>
  <b>Subjects: Female [A], Male [S]</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>S appears to have been suffering from starvation and was slowly recovering. With the unique properties of mako combined with proper fluids and a feeding tube, I surmise that recovery will be faster than had I allowed S to recover on its own. S’s pod is equipped to stimulate its muscles at regular intervals to speed up muscle growth. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A has no outward signs but following its regrettable violation, I am administering a strong drug that should make its womb temporarily inhospitable to unwanted embryos. However, its S-Cell and J-Cell counts are too low at this juncture for comfort as its low cell counts may prove problematic had it been impregnated already by S. To remedy this, it will be receiving another round of S and J cells. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Both specimens are also receiving timed doses of anesthetic to ensure their continued unconsciousness.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>At 22:57, S had an episode where it produced nocturnal emissions. A appeared unfazed and placid. This is notable as S never had such an episode in the lab before. The emissions had been diverted in time and have been properly collected, labeled, and stored.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Personal note: I will forego semen collection from S during his next physical.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>10.26.0000 - Day Two report and assessment</b>
</p><p>
  <b>Subjects: Female [A], Male [S]</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>S is showing rapid improvement overnight in terms of muscle regrowth. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A’s S and J Cell count is also improving. If A’s cell counts reach even half of S’s, I would consider that a success. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>At 9:21, both specimens had a unique episode where both of their pulse rates and respiration were elevated for the span of an hour. Both specimens showed muscular activity. The episode did not lead to emissions from S. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>At 12:53, while I was checking up on the specimens, A opened its eyes, moved both of its hands to deliver a rude gesture before losing unconsciousness. The fact that it’s clear that A was able to push the effects of the anesthetic informs me to increase its dosage. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>At 14:39, S appeared to be in psychological distress for about a minute before it passed. Likely a symptom of corruption from Hollander’s Failures.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>16:02: S had another nocturnal emission, which was diverted, labeled, and stored.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Checked A’s S and J cell counts, seeing it rise to the level equivalent to where a SOLDIER Second Class would be after their initial rounds of injections. If the rate of absorption remains constant, it may reach optimum levels by the time S has recovered.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>10.29.0000 - Day five report and assessment</b>
</p><p>
  <b>Subjects: Female [A], Male [S]</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>S continues to regain muscle mass, now easily at 80% of what it had before the incident.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A continues to absorb S and J cells at an acceptable rate.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Both subjects have shown to have fewer episodes at their current anesthetic dose.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ami woke up to feeling like she’d been hit by a logging truck which, after all sixteen wheels had run her over, decided to back up to make sure she knew that she’d been run over by a sixteen wheeler. She glanced over, seeing an equally miserable looking and mako soaked and very naked Sephiroth. If she didn’t feel horrible and he didn’t look like he was feeling similar, she’d have had the same exact reaction as when she got a good look. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She had to admit that the squeak she let out earlier was a testament to her willpower to not react like a stereotypical Sephiroth fangirl. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You look as bad as I feel, Seph,” she muttered.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Funny. I was thinking the same,” he commented as she was freed from her IV lines.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“There’s only one shower,” she muttered.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“There is,” he agreed as she approached.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Who gets to use it first, I wonder?” she asked as they ambled and staggered to the curtained off stall.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We could always share,” he commented with a slight shrug.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ami stopped and stared at him. Was he flirting with her already? She felt like death warmed over and he looked like death warmed over and… he was flirting? Her inner fangirl was definitely liking that idea, giving her unwarranted mental images she could live happier not having. Images involving things she was not going to allow to happen because... no. Besides, he couldn’t be interested in her. The kiss meant nothing. He probably would have kissed just about anyone who rescued him. No, he probably wouldn’t have. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span><em>‘... Ami…’</em> she heard Seph’s voice in her mind, sounding strained.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span><em>‘Yes?’</em> she responded as she started ambling towards the shower again, definitely not looking at the fact that she had an uninterrupted view of his backside.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘...your mental barrier slipped right after I spoke.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She stopped in her tracks before sending, <em>‘...exactly what did you see?’</em></span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He sent her the completely unwarranted mental images her inner fangirl had created. A steamy shower with their bodies near each other, her staring at his face which was tilted downward, one of his hands holding her cheek and the other resting at the small of her back, her hands resting on his biceps as he whispered sweet nothings before they kissed each other on the lips. As well as the cacophony of her thoughts up to when he’d interrupted them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She wanted to just die. He’d seen one of her lurid fantasies on accident. She was too overwhelmed by her embarrassment and fear that he’d see her as one of those annoying fangirls rather than as herself to be able to block off her thoughts. Her thoughts reached a standstill when she felt one weird emotion over their mental connection as a sound echoed in her head.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She picked up amusement as she swore she was hearing him laugh in her head. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span><em>‘Ami… are all your fantasies involving me just as tame as the one you showed me?’</em> he asked, still amused.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘...yes?’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She saw him stop in his tracks and shake his head. She swore she heard him chuckle under his breath. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘You’re utterly ridiculous sometimes.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As Ami discovered, the shower wasn’t all that steamy. For one thing, it didn’t get hot enough to steam. For another, Hojo was on the other side of the room. And a third reason, both of them just wanted to wash the mako off their bodies just enough that they didn’t have mako clinging to them so they could put on clean clothes and get back to the apartment to take an actual shower. He’d gone first, rinsing off his hair and body before stepping out to towel off and get dressed. She did the same, eager to leave Hojo’s presence and the science floor.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Once they’d reached the corridor, she noticed that Angeal and Genesis were there to meet up with them. Both men looked at them with clear concern in their eyes but didn’t speak until they were all in the elevator.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“The two of you look like shit,” Genesis said with a sigh and a deep frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I feel like a semi truck hit me and ran me over and then decided to go in reverse and run me over a second time,” she grumbled.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Semi truck?” Angeal asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Really huge freight truck. Has anywhere from sixteen to eighteen wheels,” she explained.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That does seem to describe how I feel as well,” Seph agreed with a nod.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It was either that or saying that I feel like death warmed over,” she said with a shrug.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : : .</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Author’s Note: 2/22/21</p><p>Hojo decided to take over the whole chapter. I hate him. Every other paragraph, I had to stop to tell someone how much I hate Hojo. </p><p>Also, yes, all of Ami’s fantasies involving Sephiroth are literally just kissing and touching and she’s been acting like her fantasies are hardcore smut. </p><p>Just wrapping up the Wutai War arc. The next arc is going to be… interesting.</p><p>Laters!<br/>~Gregora</p><p>Next Time on BtV: Life returns to normal for everyone as the war has been declared over. However, new enemies emerge and old enemies line up their sights</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0037"><h2>37. Playing Catch Up</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Angeal, Genesis, and Zack explain the enemies that have appeared to target them out of nowhere, pressuring Ami to share her secrets with everyone.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Disclaimer: I don’t own squat except for Ami. I’m just playing in Square-Enix’s sandbox, yo. Also, I need feedback and lots of since I know I’m not perfect and if things don’t mesh or match up, I’d like to know how to fix it. Anyways, on with the story!</p><p>Trigger Warning: Implied suicide, implied death, violence</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Chapter Thirty-Four</p><p> </p><p>Ami was mildly amused when she heard the guys mention Angeal’s vehicle and what she saw was the Gaian equivalent of a minivan. They’d arrived directly to the HQ via helicopter after a long string of helicopter trips and short boat rides. The fact that Seph hadn’t driven them to the HQ, it meant that Angeal was playing taxi. Zack was there, waiting, looking like he was keeping an eye on things.</p><p> </p><p>She was bothered. The whole time from the elevator to this, the most the guys were willing to engage in was small talk, mentioning news that she and Seph had missed out on like how Shinra had announced that the war is over following a negotiation and signed ceasefire. But she could pick up unease in both Angeal and Genesis without even listening to their minds. There was just something that told her that they were guarded and concerned.</p><p> </p><p>“Okay, everyone on the bus,” Genesis said with a sigh.</p><p> </p><p>She didn’t say anything until the van had started to pull away from the HQ and onto the highway.</p><p> </p><p>“Okay, something happened, didn’t it?” she asked with a frown.</p><p> </p><p>“Yes, but it’s best if we discuss it in the apartment,” Angeal said with a sigh, “we made sure to buy everyone’s favorite snacks and drinks.”</p><p> </p><p>There was something in how Sephiroth reacted to that, letting out a slight hum before saying, “whatever the case, it must be severely problematic.”</p><p> </p><p>“You can say that again, Sephy,” Genesis said with a sigh, leaning back in the front passenger side seat.</p><p> </p><p>“Could we at least take showers before ‘severely problematic’ things are discussed?” she asked with a frown, “I still reek of mako.”</p><p> </p><p>“No, we’re going to grill you before you can get comfy,” Genesis said, sarcasm completely dripping from his tone before shaking his head, “of course we’d let you get nice and comfy, Little Sister.”</p><p> </p><p>. : .</p><p> </p><p>Ami found herself uncertain as everyone piled into the living room, taking up both sofas. The three Firsts practically were snuggled together on the longer sofa, Sephiroth in the center. He seemed to relax into the forced cuddle like he was entirely used to such things and he’d long surrendered to the whims of his friends. She would have been crammed had she been sitting next to anyone that wasn’t a teenager. Between the two sofas, within reach, was a coffee table which was full of snacks, food, and drinks. </p><p> </p><p>There were bags of what they called crisps, cheesy puffs, flavored crackers, chocolate of various kinds, meat based snacks, and a wide assortment of sodas and booze. The fact that the guys were this prepared didn’t help her anxieties. </p><p> </p><p>“I think Zack and I should start with what happened with us, since it was the first event,” Angeal said with a frown, looking over at his mentee.</p><p> </p><p>Zack seemed nervous and withdrawn, nodding at Angeal’s words. </p><p> </p><p>. : .</p><p> </p><p>Angeal had been walking through the slums for a mission with Zack to handle some monsters which were posing to be a bit of an issue to those who lived there. The area was rather quiet as people had been avoiding the area for good reason. The monsters had just been slain and claimed by the lifestream when Angeal heard an attack coming. He whirled around with the standard issue sword he usually carried on himself rather than use the Buster. He recognized the slender, curling blade.</p><p> </p><p>His eyes went directly to the attacker, seeing a familiar face. But something was wrong. There was something in those slitted eyes that didn’t look familiar, didn’t look right. And worse, the hair was just as his friend’s used to be like, but longer. The man’s fringe which stopped at the jaw ran almost to the man’s belt. And there was that smug grin. He’d never seen Sephiroth grin like that. Ever. Also the belt was different. </p><p> </p><p>“You’re not Sephiroth,” he stated with a frown, glaring at the attacker.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, I can assure you, I am,” the not-Sephiroth said in a very smug tone which caused the words to creep and slither.</p><p> </p><p>And yet, it was his friend’s voice speaking to him. Using a different vocal pattern. </p><p> </p><p>But everything else was just like Sephiroth.</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, not buying it,” Zack stated, entering the fight, his sword at the ready.</p><p> </p><p>“You’re not in this fight, Zack,” Angeal stated, jumping to deflect an attack that had been aimed at Zack.</p><p> </p><p>He’d deflected harder attacks from the real Sephiroth, the Sephiroth he knew. Just what was going on?</p><p> </p><p>“I’m not going to let you face this poser alone, Angeal!” the teen had exclaimed.</p><p> </p><p>“‘Poser’? Really? Pathetic,” Sephiroth sneered as he lunged at Zack, who’d managed to jump back at the last moment.</p><p> </p><p>Angeal frowned, having watching this not-Sephiroth’s attack patterns. It didn’t match that of his friend’s. There was something about it that just wasn’t right. It was like this enemy focused on brute strength and wasn’t as strategic as his friend. </p><p> </p><p>“Not when you’re the antithesis of one of my best friends,” Angeal found himself growling as he bolted towards the enemy, intending to create an opening.</p><p> </p><p>“Hardly. I used to be just like him, once upon a time,” not-Sephiroth said in an amused tone as he parried and forced him back one attack at a time, forcing him to fight defensively, “and then I learned of my true destiny, my origins. I found my Mother. She’s chosen me to rule the Planet. He can’t join me without the burdens holding him back. You… and Genesis.”</p><p> </p><p>“He never will join you. He’s not like you!” Zack shouted, trying to attack their enemy from behind.</p><p> </p><p>He capitalized on this not-Sephiroth turning to block Zack by pressing the attack. This not-Sephiroth also moved much slower than the real one, proven when his attack dug into the enemy’s body. </p><p> </p><p>“You. Are. Not. Sephiroth,” Angeal growled, digging the sword in deeper as his enemy turned, creating a worse wound. </p><p> </p><p>“Yes. I am. I suggest you talk to your friend Ami about me. If you could call her your friend afterwards. She’s been hiding so much from you,” the not-Sephiroth sneered before a dark smoke covered him before dissipating, leaving a man in robes which fell to the ground, bleeding out from the wound Angeal had inflicted upon him.</p><p> </p><p>He tried to save the man in the black robes, but he couldn’t stop the bleeding. As the body was claimed by the Lifestream, he noticed that there was a tattoo on the man’s shoulder. W09.</p><p> </p><p>. : .</p><p> </p><p>Ami frowned as she heard the story from both Zack and Angeal. She wasn’t surprised that Sephiroth’s evil alternate future self had tried to remove Angeal. She’d expected it. But she also expected something a bit more subtle than a half-assed ambush. </p><p> </p><p>“Just for the sake of my curiosity,” Sephiroth stated with a small partial grin on his face, almost a wry smirk, “was this enemy really that weak compared to me in our training sessions?”</p><p> </p><p>“In that instance, yes,” Angeal said with a frown, “but he’d probably be more of a fight if I didn’t have Zack to distract him. It’s like he didn’t remember how to fight two enemies at once, like we do for fun.”</p><p> </p><p>“That’s because… well, could be because… of details that… yeah,” Ami said, pausing and frowning. </p><p> </p><p>“You could start explaining things after the next two incidents we have to share,” Angeal said with a frown.</p><p> </p><p>Ami nodded, noticing that Seph had mostly stuck to drinking water and snacking on the chocolate at a slow pace. Zack, however, seemed to be indulging on the cheesy puffs and cans of soda. She was worried that if she wanted any cheesy puffs at all, she would need to make her move before they disappeared. She discovered that the cheesy puffs tasted exactly as she expected. Another familiar food. </p><p> </p><p>“Careful Seph,” Angeal stated, sounding concerned.</p><p> </p><p>“What kind of chocolates are there over there?” she asked, just curious.</p><p> </p><p>She could have sworn Seph was resisting the urge to claim all the chocolate for himself. That alone was so sudden and unexpected that she kept herself from laughing, but didn’t hide the grin. Angeal clearly playfully and lightly swiped his palm upside the back of Seph’s head.</p><p> </p><p>“I got everything to share. Not all the chocolate’s yours, Seph,” Angeal chided while smiling.</p><p> </p><p>She was certain that this was completely normal for the guys. She was in for another loop when Seph reacted.</p><p> </p><p>“Fine,” he said in a sigh that was clearly faked and dramatic as he clearly not seriously pouted as he leaned back in the couch. </p><p> </p><p>She hadn’t seen such behaviors from him before but she could tell that to everyone else, this was normal.</p><p> </p><p>“You know, it’s nice seeing that you’ve relaxed again around us, Seph,” Zack said with a smile. </p><p> </p><p>“Congratulations, Little Sister. It appears you’re officially one of us,” Genesis said with a smile, lifting up his bottle of hard cider in a salute, “which I figured you would be once he got comfortable with you.”</p><p> </p><p>She understood the implication. She was now one of the people Sephiroth felt comfortable around enough to allow his mask to not just slip but to be removed. To see his truer, more private self. She could understand that. She just wondered if she could ever remove her own mask - she’d lived with her mask on for so long that she didn’t even know what was under it. </p><p> </p><p>“They’re just squares of solid chocolate,” Seph said with a slight smile, “there’s milk chocolate, dark chocolate, and white chocolate.”</p><p> </p><p>“I was hoping for truffles. It’s been ages since I’ve had one,” she said with a smile.</p><p> </p><p>“Mind explaining what you mean by truffle?” Genesis asked, looking interested.</p><p> </p><p>“In my world, it’s a type of chocolate where it’s more or less chocolate covered chocolate and the center has a lower melting point than the shell,” she explained.</p><p> </p><p>She could have sworn she just saw Seph’s pupils expand at the very mention of the candy. She decided she was going to torment him with her memories of said candy. She swore she saw him twitch.</p><p> </p><p><em>‘You do know that we will have to see if such things exist in this world,’</em> he responded, his tone almost eager.</p><p> </p><p>“The center sounds like it could be ganache,” Angeal said with a frown, “but I would recommend caution.”</p><p> </p><p>“I swear, Sephy here is addicted to chocolate. Especially dark chocolate,” Genesis said with a smirk as he patted his friend’s shoulder, “you should have seen him on his first chocolate-induced sugar rush.”</p><p> </p><p>“I wasn’t aware that I’d metabolize sugar in that manner considering that any form of sweets were not a part of Hojo’s dietary allotments for me,” Seph groused, his arms still crossed in front of him.</p><p> </p><p>“So I’m imagining a lot of wall bouncing like he was a rubber ball?” Ami asked with a grin.</p><p> </p><p>“He decided that it was best to work out the sugar rush in the sparring rooms,” Angeal stated.</p><p> </p><p>“After an hour of silence from him, we went down and found three demolished walls and a passed out Sephiroth in the center of the destruction,” Genesis finished with a wide grin.</p><p> </p><p>“I’ve since managed my sugar intake,” Seph muttered. </p><p> </p><p>The atmosphere of the room turned serious as everyone seemed to refocus on the purpose of the discussion. Zack took a deep drink from a can of soda, emptying it.</p><p> </p><p>“Guess it’s my turn,” the teen said, going from his cheerful manner to something a bit more sullen, a bit more scared.</p><p> </p><p>. : .</p><p> </p><p>Zack had been enroute from a mission in the wastelands, riding his motor scooter back to Midgar. The sun had been high in the sky. He’d been fortunate that it was still too early in the season for any real, permanent snowfall that would be a problem with his scooter. It was almost too cold to travel long periods on his only mode of transportation that wasn’t his feet or the trains. He swore he heard a loud motorcycle approach and let out a sigh, expecting a certain individual who seemed to be doing his damnedest to ensure that his motorcycle was the loudest on the Planet. </p><p> </p><p>He expected to see a red motorcycle approach with its rider dressed in red and black. Instead, there were three black motorcycles approaching, their riders dressed in black and weren’t wearing helmets, allowing their silver hair to stream behind them. Or at least behind two of the three riders. The three riders managed to trap him between them easily since their motorcycles were much faster than his scooter.</p><p> </p><p>“Look at what we found,” one of them said, his silver hair the longest and he could have sworn looked almost like Sephiroth, his voice smooth and devoid of most emotion, “one of our brothers.”</p><p> </p><p>“One of the weaker ones,” scoffed the one with the second longest silver hair whose side part covered a part of his face, his tone reminding him very much of Genesis,  “doubt he matters any.”</p><p> </p><p>“Does that mean we can kill him?” the biggest one asked with a grin, his hair just a bit shorter than Sephiroth’s current hairstyle, his tone full of excitement.</p><p> </p><p>What bothered him the most was the fact that all three were as pale as Sephiroth and had the same cyan slitted eyes. </p><p> </p><p>“Kill him? No,” the clear leader said, “but we can play with him.”</p><p> </p><p>It had been a fight that Zack knew going in that he was going to lose. The three were each clearly as strong as a First and he was just a Second. He was still going to put his all into the fight, what SOLDIER pride he had demanded it. The one with the side part covering part of his face used a weapon that had parallel blades, the longest haired one used what looked like a bladed handgun, and the big one used gauntlets. </p><p> </p><p>And they acted like they knew how to fight as a team, the one with the handgun attacked at range, taking potshots at him while he tried to fend off the other two. As the battle continued and not in his favor, he heard another motorcycle approach, this time coming from Midgar. Before he could figure out who the rider was, a series of fireballs flew at his assailants and the ones that missed changed trajectory to sail at the closest of his assailants. He recognized that tactic.</p><p> </p><p>The big one had to leap away from him when a familiar red motorcycle skidded, almost sideswiping the man.</p><p> </p><p>“Jump on!” Genesis shouted before they roared back to Midgar.</p><p> </p><p>. : .</p><p> </p><p>Ami frowned at the knowledge. Why was Jenova using the Remnants? Unless the Remnants were a contingency or used when it didn’t want to reveal its Sephiroth puppet. After all, the Sephiroth of this timeline was in no current danger of surrendering to it and it would be foolish to alert everyone of its puppet. Just its targets. Just them. </p><p> </p><p>“Now I know you know something about what’s going on. I had a feeling you did but your face says everything,” Angeal stated with a slight frown.</p><p> </p><p>“I probably know too much,” Ami admitted with a sigh, “but you said there was a third incident?”</p><p> </p><p>“Right before I ran to Zack’s rescue I faced the not-Sephiroth. He gloated, tried to egg me on, and implied that Zack was in danger before I killed him. He had a tattoo on his upper arm too. W06,” Genesis said, clearly not wanting to get into details.</p><p> </p><p>Ami got up and started to pace. How was she going to handle things? Or at least start things off.</p><p> </p><p>“Ami told me that in her world, there are stories of this world, particularly of a chain of events that she’s chosen to attempt to alter,” Sephiroth stated evenly, clearly tackling the topic of explaining things.</p><p> </p><p>“So she finally told you too,” Genesis stated with a slight smile, “when she talked to me about the subject, she was absolutely terrified that she would make you lose your mind if she weren’t careful.”</p><p> </p><p>“She was exceedingly careful,” Sephiroth said, his tone almost warm and reassuring, “more careful than I’d expect from anyone else.”</p><p> </p><p>“But if you knew of this world, Ami, why did you decide to fight Sephiroth? I’d have thought you’d know of his reputation,” Angeal said with a worried glance, “assuming that the reputation is the same as here.”</p><p> </p><p>“Easy. I wouldn’t inflict Hojo on even my worst enemies, no matter how much I hate them,” Ami stated, stopping in her tracks, “death is preferred over Hojo, so I threw myself at someone who’d be capable and willing to killing me quickly and efficiently and as painlessly as possible as a mercy. Stories from my world say that he could attack faster than the eye can track.”</p><p> </p><p>Sephiroth raised an eyebrow and softly scoffed, “I doubt I’m that fast even if I tried.”</p><p> </p><p>“Also I figured that if I tried to fight Angeal, he’d hold himself from delivering any lethal blows and if I tried to pick a fight with Genesis, he’d cheat and use materia on me,” Ami said with a smirk, “and if Sephiroth killed me, I figured I’d have a story to tell in the afterlife, if there is one. A Sephiroth fangirl from Earth gets sent to Gaia and then killed by the guy. Quite the story.”</p><p> </p><p>“Sounds like you’re popular on more than one planet, Sephy,” Genesis said in an amused tone.</p><p> </p><p>“And yet you’re a lot more polite about things than the majority of Seph’s fans here,” Angeal commented.</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, that’s cause I’m not interested in sex with anyone. Part of it’s that it’s just too much of a headache and part of it’s cause it’s honestly a waste of my own time. My experience has never matched that of romance novels, which I assume is because it’s less grounded in reality,” Ami said with a shrug, “I just think he’s pretty to look at.”</p><p> </p><p>She saw Genesis flinch and pat Sephiroth’s shoulder, “that’s harsh. Sorry, buddy.”</p><p> </p><p>Sephiroth merely gave a curious eyebrow to Genesis, prompting the redhead to say, “you aren’t bothered that she shot down the idea of sex with you?”</p><p> </p><p>“The very idea of intercourse between her and I would be exceedingly unwise and we’re aware of this,” Sephiroth stated, “and I’m also aware that she has no interest in intercourse with anyone, a statement that I also agree with personally. There’s no reason for me to be bothered by something we both agree on. And on the matter of her appreciating my appearance, many who stare at me do so as if I’m a piece of meat and not solely because of any appreciation of my appearance as she does. It’s… a new experience and one that I see no issue with as I’ve made it clear to her rather early on.”</p><p> </p><p>Ami nodded in agreement before starting to pace, gathering her thoughts.</p><p> </p><p>“If events transpired like in these stories, how long ago would the excavation have happened which unearthed the virus?” Sephiroth asked.</p><p> </p><p>“I don’t know exactly, I surmise a handful of years before Genesis was born, assuming he's the eldest. It's really confusing as to when anyone was born,” Ami said with a frown.</p><p> </p><p>“My birthdate isn’t exactly known, the date I’ve taken to celebrate as my birthday was really the date that my adoption was finalized,” Genesis said with a frown, “which was April fifteenth of eighty-one.”</p><p> </p><p>“Am I the only one out of the three of us who knows when they were born?” Angeal asked with a frown.</p><p> </p><p>“There’s a reason for that,” Ami said with a sigh, frowning as she rubbed the back of her head, “and it’s not a nice reason. I… I’ll be right back.”</p><p> </p><p>She turned and stalked to the kitchen to grab a few bottles of hard cider, between her and Genesis, they were running low. And she needed to grab a frying pan. It might just be a hard enough surface if she needed to bash some sense into thick heads. She carried the items back, splitting the number of bottles between herself and Genesis before grabbing and opening it. </p><p> </p><p>“What’s with the skillet?” Zack asked, looking confused.</p><p> </p><p>“It’s in case I need to bash some sense into thick skulls,” she said with a slight smirk which died, “I’m not letting some things fly if I can help it.”</p><p> </p><p>She started to pace, a skillet in one hand and a bottle of booze in the other before stopping.</p><p> </p><p>“So there was the excavation. They found a being sealed away in a two thousand year old rock layer. They being a team of Shinra scientists. Hollander, Hojo, and Gast plus a few others. They believed that what they uncovered was the body of a Cetra. The body might have once been a Cetra before it was taken over by the virus. The body was given the name Jenova,” Ami stated with a frown, giving a glance to Seph.</p><p> </p><p><em>‘You okay?’</em> she asked, wanting to make sure that Seph was okay.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> ‘I was expecting that piece of information. If the amounts of its cells were introduced into me at an early stage was high enough, one could make an argument for Hojo being honest. I suspect he allowed me to know for a reason, likely a trap. I appreciate your concern for my mental and emotional well being.’ </em>
</p><p> </p><p>She saw Seph give her a nod, clearly giving her permission to continue.</p><p> </p><p>“There were two different projects involving cells taken from Jenova,” she said with a frown, “Jenova Project S which involved implantation of pure cell samples and… Jenova Project G which was named for the scientist who willingly acted as a sort of… filter. She was injected with Jenova cells and her body altered these cells which was later used. The scientist’s name… was Gillian Hewley. Altered Jenova cells were taken from her and implanted into a fetus. After a time, the child that resulted from this experiment was considered a failure and was adopted by a wealthy landowner in Banora.”</p><p> </p><p>She looked at Angeal, seeing that he was downcast and troubled. He rested his arms on his lap, his hands clasped together as he bowed his head. </p><p> </p><p>“This is just what was in the stories, Angeal. Until we investigate, we won’t know for certain,” she said gently, “and it’s best to investigate once all the information is on the table, no matter how difficult it is to hear or know.”</p><p> </p><p>“You’re right,” Angeal said quietly, “I intend to investigate in the morning.”</p><p> </p><p>“As do I,” Seph said.</p><p> </p><p>“I’ve already started snooping,” Genesis said with a smirk.</p><p> </p><p>“Why am I not surprised,” Angeal said with a sigh, “I knew you had a project once we got back from Wutai.”</p><p> </p><p>“Which was to poke around files that I have clearance to access,” Genesis said with a smirk before frowning, “everything involving Jenova is outside my reach though. Hojo has that information sealed up tight and I’m not a computer wizard.”</p><p> </p><p>“Later,” Seph stated, “there’s more information Ami needs to share.”</p><p> </p><p>Ami nodded before saying, “technically, you weren’t an intended experiment, Angeal. From what I gather, the project was officially ended before you were born. You just happened to inherit your mother’s altered Jenova cells. The project was ended because Project S was showing more promise.”</p><p> </p><p>“I’m starting to think that Project S is Sephiroth here,” Zack interjected.</p><p> </p><p>“That’s because it is. I am,” Sephiroth said with a slight frown, “from what Ami discussed, in the stories, Hojo was married and his wife became pregnant with a child which may or may not have been his. Personally, I would rather be the son of a Turk than Hojo’s spawn. His wife willingly allowed Hojo to inject pure Jenova cells into the embryo. I was the result.”</p><p> </p><p>“That explains why Hojo seems to have it out for you, Seph,” Angeal said, moving to comfort his friend even if he looked like he needed comforting himself.</p><p> </p><p>“So what happens next?” Zack asked.</p><p> </p><p>“In the stories, Seph became a war hero at the age of approximately twelve years old,” Ami said with a frown.</p><p> </p><p>“Which would put me at approximately twenty years old, if the information holds,” Sephiroth said with a smile, “it’s nice to know at least an estimation of my age.”</p><p> </p><p>“That would make us close to the same age,” Angeal said with a slight frown.</p><p> </p><p>“And makes me the eldest in this room, by two years,” Ami stated with a frown, “I’m surrounded by kids.”</p><p> </p><p>“So then what happens?” Zack asked, clearly eager to hear more.</p><p> </p><p>“I imagine things play out similarly. Except that you never met Seph and Genesis until later,” Ami said with a frown, “you weren’t present for the incident in the VR room. The one where a mako-infused sword shattered and it sliced open Genesis’s shoulder, resulting in a wound which refused to heal and caused his body to start to degrade. An event which I prevented from happening.”</p><p> </p><p>“Will I still degrade?” Genesis asked quietly.</p><p> </p><p>“Likely. It’s entirely likely all of us will in some way. It’s hard to know what’s actual mental degradation and what’s just the result of hearing Jenova’s whispers,” she said with a frown, “fortunately physical degradation is easy to spot. Your hair will turn white and your skin will be affected. It’s possible that the degradation proceeded so quickly because Hollander forced that version of you to make copies of yourself which destabilized your biology even more.”</p><p> </p><p>“The story’s version of Genesis turned to Hollander for help, not knowing that Hollander was using him as a pawn in a small conspiracy to destabilize the company out of frustration. Hollander was jealous and angry that his project was shelved and that he deserved to be the head of the science department,” Ami said with a frown.</p><p> </p><p>“I assume there was a third party involved. A conspiracy like that would require gil for support,” Sephiroth stated.</p><p> </p><p>“In the story, a son born out of wedlock of the President’s was involved. A son who grew up in poverty in the slums before working for his father’s company and given a position with no clear upward mobility in a department that he lacks the capability to lead.”</p><p> </p><p>“Lazard,” Seph stated with a slight frown, “he’s been rather… annoyed that he isn’t being promoted and that his skills in bureaucracy is a mismatch with the needs of SOLDIER. He’s been training me to replace him in case he is promoted or retires.”</p><p> </p><p>“If you ask me,” Ami said, “I think you’re the reason Lazard hasn’t been promoted. From my understanding, most on the Board and the President himself were scared of you in the stories. A boogeyman that they made themselves.”</p><p> </p><p>“I’m well aware of that,” Seph said with a frown.</p><p> </p><p>“So back to the story, Genesis and Hollander defect from the Company. During a mission in Wutai, Angeal was separated from the group, was told his origins, and also left. Sephiroth clearly took it as an abandonment and betrayal from his only two friends he’d ever had. There may have been insinuations that in the story, he wasn’t eating much and withdrew,” Ami said with a frown.</p><p> </p><p>“Would you really react like that?” Angeal asked, looking over at Seph who looked troubled by the story.</p><p> </p><p>“I don’t like the idea of being without everyone,” Seph said quietly, “of being alone again. That in another chain of events, I was left alone like that.”</p><p> </p><p>“It only gets worse,” Ami said, pausing to take another drink from her bottle, “in the story, Angeal refused to side with either Genesis or Seph. He was torn between his two friends while dealing with a crisis as he started to believe that he was a monster. His mental state just kept going downhill to the point that he decided that he was indeed a monster and deserved a monster’s fate. He forced Zack to participate in a fight to the death. With his dying breath, he passed the Buster to Zack.”</p><p> </p><p>“If the story holds true, I <strong>would</strong> be a monster,” Angeal said before feeling something hard hit his head just hard enough to hurt, causing him to flinch.</p><p> </p><p>“Nope. Not gonna let that talk fly,” Ami stated with a frown, “because anything you can point at as being monstrous about yourself would be found in everyone in this room. Everyone in this room and in SOLDIER has Jenova cells in them, the difference is the amounts. If anything, you’re infected with the same virus as we are. So knock that shit off.”</p><p> </p><p>She saw Angeal’s expression before sighing, “there was a movie… the first movie I saw in theaters. It was… I dunno… a few months after I was adopted. I believed that I was a monster. Or a mistake. Or that there was something horribly wrong with me. The movie was attached to the biggest franchise that exploded worldwide at the time. There was a character in it which was created in a test tube, cloned from another being… the movie was its journey to realize what it was. Most of it, that character spent in anger and hatred towards humanity and everything because it was either seen as a thing… or as a weapon. Near the end, it reached an epiphany and said, ‘I see now that the circumstances of one’s birth are irrelevant; it is what you do with the gift of life that determines who you are.’ And I believed that. I believed that maybe… even if I was born a monster, a mistake, or as a broken person… I could choose who I am.”</p><p> </p><p>She knew that her mind had replayed the movie in her head in snippets and that Seph likely saw it. He probably saw that her mind definitely had made weird connections between him and the character she mentioned. Angeal looked like he was grappling with her words and his own issues. </p><p> </p><p>“I think it might be a good idea for you to swap places with Angeal, Seph. He looks like he needs to be the center right now,” Ami said, getting a nod from Seph.</p><p> </p><p>Within moments, Angeal was now in the middle of the couch and she gave Zack a look. Fortunately, Zack didn’t need much in the way of encouragement to give Angeal one of his signature hugs. She saw Genesis move to be an active part of a group hug while Seph carefully moved his right arm to drape it over Angeal’s shoulders. </p><p> </p><p>“Another piece of evidence against you being a monster; monsters don’t have friends that love them for who they are. Nor do they care whether or not they’re a monster,” Ami stated quietly, drawing closer to the couch.</p><p> </p><p>“You… you’re right,” Angeal said quietly, sounding as if it took a lot to say those words before practically becoming limp as everyone else gave him some sort of physical reassurance.</p><p> </p><p>“Damn right I am,” Ami stated, finding an open spot on the coffee table to set the skillet down.</p><p> </p><p>She saw Seph tilt his head at her and gave a slight motion that could be an invitation before saying, “if I have to participate, so do you.”</p><p> </p><p>. : : .</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Author’s Note: 2/23/21</p><p>So the guys had an exciting time while Ami and Seph were in the labs. It’s like everyone wants to remove Angeal and Genesis from Sephiroth. Ami might have taken care of an issue before it could become a Big Problem.</p><p>Can anyone guess what movie Ami quoted/referenced? (Not like it was hard to recognize)</p><p>My furnace broke, so yay another thing to deal with. Can I please stop being an adult now?</p><p>Laters!<br/>~Gregora</p><p>Next Time on BtV: Ami continues her explanations to the guys.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0038"><h2>38. More Explanations</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Ami finishes her explanation. A sudden conversation yields a fun discovery. Angeal wonders if he's the only sane one in the apartment.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Chapter Thirty-Five</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It took a while before everyone was certain that Angeal had recovered enough to slowly pull away from the group cuddle. Although, Ami would never admit that she was tempted to stay where she had taken position, sitting across Seph’s lap. She wouldn’t even admit to Seph that she felt completely comfortable and safe there, even if she figured his reaction would be amusement and giving her permission to stay. Even if his left arm was gently wrapped around her shoulders, practically telling her that it was okay to stay. After all, they’d been in similar positions a few times already. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She gently climbed off of his lap to resume her pacing, stopping when she felt it was time to continue her explanation.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Things mostly settled back down afterwards. At some point, Zack made a friend with a young trooper who was trying to get into SOLDIER, but failed the test. His name was Cloud Strife. He becomes important later on. Hmm… he should be around fourteen right now. If I have the timeline straight in my head, he leaves his hometown for Midgar either this last spring or this coming spring. In the stories, he wanted to join SOLDIER to be a hero like his idol.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Zack even got himself a girlfriend in the stories,” Ami said with a smile, “not saying who because I don’t want to force things.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Awww,” Zack whined, “not even going to give me a hint?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“She lives in Midgar,” Ami said with a smile, “not going to say that she lives in the slums.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You just did,” Angeal said with a sigh.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yes, but I didn't say that she lives in sector 5," Ami responded with a grin.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You were saying that you didn’t want to force things,” Seph said with some amusement.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“There’s a difference between pointing him in her general direction and giving him everything I know about her and telling him to have at,” Ami said with a smile, “sides, in the stories, they were adorable together.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Matchmaking aside, what happens next?” Angeal asked, amused but wanting to keep the conversation rolling.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Just a lot of time passing. The first game I played chronologically covered about two years’ worth of time. Well, for the most part. There was a four year jump near the end and then one more year, which was also mostly cutscenes,” Ami said with a frown, “and it was entirely from Zack’s point of view. He and Seph in the game kind of bonded over a shared unwillingness to hunt down their friends.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So what’s the next event, then?” Angeal asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“A really problematic one for everyone to hear. At that point in the story, Seph was pretty much broken and tired from having lost his only friends and seeing some of the… unsavory things the company is responsible for. In a way, he seemed lost. He confided to Zack that he was going to go on one more mission and depending on how it went, he might just retire.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That wouldn’t happen,” Seph said with a sigh, “if I were to retire, I would be returning to the life I left when I was pushed into SOLDIER.” He paused, his expression turning grim before saying, “it’s highly likely that retirement was being used as an euphemism for something else entirely. If I was in that situation… having lost everyone I cared about… I would not be thinking of leaving SOLDIER to return to the labs or to try for a civilian lifestyle.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You can’t be saying that you’d be thinking of killing yourself,” Angeal said, agast. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Do we… really mean that much to you, Sephiroth?” Genesis asked quietly, staring at his friend.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Seph merely nodded before saying, “I never thought when I met the two of you, Angeal, Genesis, that you would have such an impact on my life that… I would be truly happy. And yet fearful of losing it all. Just the two of you have made me start to consider that all that I’ve had to go through to get to this point may have been worth it to have the two of you in my life. If I were to lose the two of you, I would likely be worse off than I had been before we met.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Angeal and Genesis exchanged a look before Angeal got up and swapped spots with Sephiroth and the two of them made sure to envelop their friend in a tight hug.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“All these events being discussed seems to be linked to a lack of communication on everyone’s part,” Angeal stated, “so why don’t we make a promise to each other, that even if it’s difficult or painful, we actually communicate when we need help. Regardless of any pride or stubbornness. We will never allow anything to get between us. Deal?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Absolutely. I’m quite displeased that my potential actions could lead to so much pain and hurt my two dearest friends,” Genesis said with a frown, “the fates are cruel, indeed.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Seph merely nodded to Angeal before Ami felt everyone’s eyes focus on her. She took a deep breath.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“The mission was simple. Monsters plaguing a town out in the middle of nowhere and a potential issue with the town’s reactor. Assigned to the mission was Sephiroth, Zack, Cloud, and two other troopers who were just… there,” she said with a frown, “the workers at the reactor had gone missing, blamed on monster attacks since the reactor was a ways away from the village. The group enlisted a local girl named Tifa to be a guide to the area, who was Cloud’s only friend in the village.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“The fastest way to the reactor was a rickety bridge which gave way. It was fortunate that only one of the troopers fell. Everyone continued with the mission and the group reached the reactor. The remaining troopers, including Cloud, were told to stay with their guide, likely to keep her safe while out in the open. While there, the issue was found and dealt with, but not before it became clear that it wasn’t a normal reactor. There was a large chamber full of mako pods and in it were people who had mutated due to the large amount of mako they were exposed to. And along the back wall by a door was a metal plate which had Jenova’s name on it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She took a deep breath, letting information settle before continuing, “in the story, Seph stared at the contents and started to wonder if he was connected to them. He started to doubt his humanity. Genesis showed up and told him that he was a monster and so was Jenova before asking for help. Seph told him that he would rot. Seph then became obsessed with finding out the truth and went to the mansion on the hill that seemed so familiar to him, finding that it was the lab where he was born. And found research and notes that Hojo left behind, which suspiciously hid Jenova’s true identity as well as failed to mention Lucrecia Crescent.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Knowing Hojo, the library was likely full of lies,” Seph said with a frown, “the real question is… what would he gain by doing so?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ami frowned before saying, “proving his Reunion theory. In the story, he might have wanted that version of you to succumb to Jenova’s call. To see what happens in the case of your body merging with the virus’ main body. He was obsessed with that later on in the stories. In the stories, Seph had the highest concentration of Jenova’s cells in him compared to everyone else. That alone would make him a target of Jenova.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That does sound plausible,” Seph said, his frown remaining.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So in the story, Seph spends days in the basement, obsessively reading everything he could find until one morning,” Ami said, “the village was set on fire, many of the villagers slaughtered. Zack and Cloud see Seph head to the reactor and there, they overhear him speaking to Jenova that he would take back the world for it. Zack attacks first but is wounded enough that he couldn’t keep fighting. Cloud takes up the Buster and gives chase and nearly cuts Seph in half from behind. Seph impales Cloud with Masamune and Cloud manages to use that as leverage to shove Seph into the reactor itself before collapsing.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Likely it was all to make Cloud and Zack kill him,” Seph said with a frown, “assuming that there was enough of who he was in his mind to do so. That’s the only explanation for how sloppy that situation became as well as the destruction.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So then what happens?” Zack asked, “I become a hero, right?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“The incident was swept under the rug. Seph was announced to have been killed in action. Cloud and Zack, as well as the rest of the survivors from the village that hadn’t escaped, were rounded up and experimented on by Hojo. Cloud and the survivors were injected with mako and a mix of Jenova cells and Sephiroth cells. However, the amount of mako Cloud was subjected to caused him to develop mako poisoning. Four years later, Zack somehow regained consciousness in a mako pod and managed to break out. He found Cloud and tried to help him. Zack carried Cloud along as they escaped, traveling all over the place as the company hunted them down. Zack learned how long he’d been away from Midgar and remembered the promise he made to his girlfriend and headed for Midgar.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And I make it right? And keep the promise?” Zack asked, looking eager and excited.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That would be a great conclusion to it all, wouldn’t it?” Ami asked with a sad smile before looking away, “somewhere in the wastes, the Army waited for that version of Zack. He hid Cloud behind the rocks and took on hundreds, if not thousands, of infantrymen. Until there were three of them. And those three were the ones to take him out and leave him and Cloud for dead. Cloud woke up just enough to get to Zack and with his last words, Zack passed the Buster to Cloud. That version of Zack believed that by giving up his life to protect his friend, he got to be a hero.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She knew that she wasn’t blocking her memories or thoughts and that Seph had seen everything play out in her head.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>‘That explains why, the first time you saw Zack, you were incredibly sad. It was because you remembered seeing him die in the video game,’ Seph mentally sent at her, ‘You don’t need to worry. I won’t fall for Hojo’s trap a second time. I will protect everyone, including you.’</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So that’s the end of the first video game,” Ami said with a sigh, “the second one is from Cloud’s perspective as he joins a group called Avalanche whose goal is to stop the Company from killing the planet due to using mako, which is created using the Lifestream. Shenanigans happen and it’s revealed that Seph never fully died and Cloud becomes desperate to find out what his idol turned sworn enemy is doing and stop the plans from happening. It’s revealed that the story’s version of Seph wanted to use the Black Materia containing the ultimate destructive power to call forth Meteor and absorb all of the Lifestream to become a god.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“A god, huh?” Angeal asked, looking over at his friend.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I have no desire to become a god. I have enough responsibilities as it is,” Seph said with a frown, “nor do I want more people to worship me. If anything, I would like to not be worshipped at all.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“The curse of being a hero,” Genesis said with a dramatic sigh, obviously giving Seph grief in a playful manner.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He used the fact that Cloud’s mind was unstable and that Cloud had his cells in him to force Cloud to hand over the Black Materia. Cloud’s group then went to the abandoned city of the Ancients so that the last Cetra could use her White Materia containing the ultimate healing power to call forth Holy to destroy Meteor. The story’s version of Seph killed her in an attempt to prevent Holy from being called, but was too late. The group went to the Northern Crater where they found, encased in a mako crystal, the parts of Seph’s body that the Lifestream couldn’t absorb. Long story short, Cloud’s party regained the Black Materia, despite the story’s Seph messing with Cloud’s mind and there was a final confrontation in the center of the planet. Cloud won and the story’s Seph was fully killed. He’d been holding Holy back in the Lifestream and with his death, Holy was allowed to destroy Meteor. That’s the second video game of the story.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Then what happened?” Zack asked, looking curious.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, apparently according to the movie, shortly after, there was a disease that appeared called Geostigma. It somehow had ties to the story’s version of Seph but I don’t really remember. It’s been a while since I saw it. I just remember that from the Lifestream, Seph created manifestations of his personality which, when exposed to Jenova cells, would become him. Kadaj, Loz, and Yazoo. Kadaj had this weapon which was two parallel blades on one hilt, Loz used gauntlets, and Yazoo had a fancy gun.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That sounds like those three Genesis saved me from,” Zack said with a frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Kadaj pretty much became Seph with some Jenova cells right in front of Cloud, they had a throwdown, Cloud won again, the Remnants were defeated, and everything returned to normal,” Ami stated with a frown, “there was a video game set afterwards but I never got the chance to play it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She sat back down next to Zack on the smaller couch, opening another bottle of hard cider and took a long swig from it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m quite curious about one thing, Little Sister,” Genesis said with a smirk, “at what point did you become one of Sephy’s fangirls?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“After I played the first game I mentioned,” she said, not looking anywhere, “I… related to the character a lot. My friends left me too, I was lost. There’s nothing wrong with that. Is there? Sides, I don’t think it matters as much as it used to. I don’t see Seph as being the same person. One big difference, one’s a character in a video game and the other’s one of my good friends.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Silence fell upon the group before Seph sat forward on the couch, looking serious. Ami swore he had his Silver General face on.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Perhaps, for our benefit, we should compile reports on all the events discussed today, for our future reference,” Seph stated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Especially in case if something happens to me,” Ami said with a frown, “I wouldn’t want this knowledge to not be used by you guys if it means saving everyone.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was decided shortly afterward that after everything, it would be a better idea for everyone’s mental health to relax and chill together for a few hours without any difficult conversations. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I think I should get started on the reports and stuff as well as unpack,” Ami stated before retreating to her room.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As she stood in her room, everything seemed different. She could hardly believe that only a month maybe a month and a half ago, she’d been sleeping in this room. Not knowing of the insanity that was unfolding. Not knowing of the tangled web forming. Back when all she thought she was working against was just the timeline. She unpacked her things and set her camping gear aside and went over to the desk which had a standard laptop resting on top of it. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She’d been wearing pajama pants and a t-shirt since her shower, wanting to relax after all that happened and went to start typing up information. She didn’t know how long she’d been working on things when there was a knock on the door.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Enter,” she called out and heard the door open.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’d like to speak with you, if that’s okay,” she heard Seph say, actually using contractions and sounding more relaxed, likely due to not wearing his Silver General mask.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Feel free,” she said, turning around in her chair.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He’d also decided to wear more comfortable clothing after his shower as well, wearing only pajama pants. He clearly took it to mean he had permission to enter since he stepped through the doorway and closed the door and strode over to stand nearby. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She wondered how she hadn’t noticed that his chest was covered in scars where his usual outfit covered him. Some looked to be from weapons or burns, while the majority looked more like incisions. Thin, straight lines of scar tissue. The scars were faint and she was willing to bet that she hadn’t noticed because she was distracted by other things. The only scar which wouldn’t be hidden by his leather outfit would be the one on his chest, the one she knew she was responsible for. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I just wanted to make sure you were doing okay after all that happened in Wutai and the labs,” he said quietly, “it can sometimes be difficult settling back in after a tour.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She nodded, finding it cute that he wanted to make sure she was doing okay.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And what about you? I mean, what I had to explain couldn’t be easy for you to hear,” she said with a frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I have my hypotheses, but some of them can’t truly be tested without things going like that,” he said carefully, “but I understand that he isn’t me. That he fell for Hojo’s trap which you saved me from. Again, assuming that events match up as they did during the VR room incident. And… I felt that you deserve to know that I fully understand why you reacted the way you did when I tried to pull information from your mind and why you’ve been so scared.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She stood up and walked over to Seph before enveloping him in a hug. She felt she needed to do this and felt that he’d appreciate it too. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I still forgive you, Seph,” she said as she felt his arms gently wrap around her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I wish I knew why you’ve decided to save me from becoming that,” he said quietly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Because you deserved better than that fate and so do Angeal and Genesis and Zack. You all deserve better than that,” she said quietly, turning her head up to look at his face.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sometimes I wonder… about me. I agree with the rest of them deserving better than what they got in that story,” he said quietly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Seph, you’re a better person than you give yourself credit for,” she said quietly, still looking at his face, “I mean, every time you feel that I need reassurance, you’re right there for me. You’ve been incredibly patient with me. You look for understanding. You’re honestly nice, caring, and far warmer than you seem at first. And that’s only because you only let the ones you trust to see who you truly are deep down.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She felt his uncertainty, his concern, realizing that she wasn’t seeing him as Sephiroth, Shinra’s Silver General, or as her mentor. But as Seph, her friend who was very likely tortured and abused from birth or at least since he was very young based on his nightmares, who only knew what was deemed important for the battlefield. She understood his uncertainty and wanted to ease him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Did you really come to check up on me or because you needed reassuring?” she asked gently.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“More the second but also some of the former,” he said with a slight rise of a corner of his mouth before it fell, “I’m just scared. I know what I’m capable of and… I don’t want to go down that path. And I feel… if anyone could prevent that from happening, you could. I trust you, Ami.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She failed to notice that his face had slowly drawn closer to hers as she was distracted by him and the emotions she was feeling over the connection. And even if she had, she wouldn't have minded as she moved her right hand to the side of his face, gently resting there. She saw him react by closing his eyes and leaning into the gentle touch with a slight sigh. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I trust you too, Seph,” she said quietly, “you’re one of the few people I feel completely safe with. And you earned that, you know. And I--”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She was interrupted by his lips on hers. Before she could react, his tongue gently moved until they touched. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘I won’t go further than kissing and any touching you allow me. I consent to allow you to do the same to me, allowing only what you allow me.’</span>
  </em>
  <span> The mental message did nothing but encourage her as she moved her tongue to taste him deeply, slowly and gently running her tongue against his. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Below the belt is off limits,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> she sent back as she could hear her heart pound in her ears and what could have been quiet groans coming from Seph.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Agreed,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> he responded as his hands slowly ran down her back, causing her to bend her back against the sensation.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She heard a slightly louder groan coming from him in response as she kept her right hand on the side of his face as she ran her other hand slowly down his back, feeling his muscles just under his skin before her hand moved to his side and slowly drifted up. Halfway up his side, he pulled away from the kiss suddenly as he stiffened and made a sound she’d never heard from a human being before. She carefully ran a finger against that spot, hearing him inhale sharply as she swore he looked like he was fighting a smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“...is that a ticklish spot?” Ami asked with a grin before running her fingers over the spot lightly but mercilessly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No!” he exclaimed defensively, a laugh clearly in his words as he quickly stepped away, pulling him out of her reach, “I’m certainly not ticklish!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, not buying that!” she exclaimed, moving towards him with a grin, her fingers flexing as she reached towards him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m not,” he said, making sure to stay out of her reach.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Angeal was in the kitchen, tending to the sauce for their dinner when he heard what sounded like a herd of elfadunks running down the stairs. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You will do nothing of the sort!” he heard Sephiroth exclaim, using a tone that suggested playfulness.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Like you can stop me?” he heard Ami ask in a similar tone as they came into view.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He’d never seen Sephiroth run away from anything, least of all a girl who was just more than a head shorter than him. And never with both of them practically grinning. He wondered if his silver haired friend had actually lost his mind after the tense explanation. Sephiroth was running just fast enough to keep him out of Ami’s reach for some reason. He caught the reason as he saw her hold her hands towards him with her fingers flexing in what was a universal - at least on Gaia - sign of tickling.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The ruckus clearly drew Genesis out of his room and saw on his best friend’s face the same utter confusion he felt. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Okay,” Angeal said with a heavy sigh, “what’s gotten into the two of you this time?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, you see Se--” Ami started to say before she was interrupted by Sephiroth placing his hand over her mouth.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Within the span of mere seconds, he saw a semi-disgusted expression fall on his friend’s face before Ami reached out and ran her fingers over a specific spot on the silver haired man’s side, which caused him to look like he was holding in laughter.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh so the Great Sephiroth is ticklish,” Genesis said with a wide grin of his own as Sephiroth removed his hand from Ami’s mouth.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You licked me!” Sephiroth exclaimed in near shock.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Your fault for putting your hand over my mouth,” she exclaimed with a grin as Genesis approached as Sephiroth moved to try to stay out of Ami’s reach.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So where’s this elusive ticklish spot?” Genesis asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Halfway up his right side-ish,” Ami explained as she gave chase.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Angeal could only watch as he swore his friends somehow all lost their minds and became overgrown children. On the bright side, it was clear that they were having fun. They could all use some laughter.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : : .</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Author’s Note: 2/24/21</p><p>The rest of Ami’s explanation. </p><p>I know it seems to be out of Sephiroth’s character, but I figure in the games, we only saw him in terms of work, where he’s a certain way. He’s now relaxed, with those he’s completely comfortable with and feels secure enough to just be… himself. Not a SOLDIER, not a War Hero… just himself. </p><p>And apparently, some of them can turn into overgrown children very quickly.</p><p>Laters!<br/>~Gregora</p><p>Next Time on BtV: Ami is called to an important meeting. Can she avoid the traps laid out about her?</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0039"><h2>39. The Scarlet Incident</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Ami is called to an important meeting. Can she avoid the traps laid out about her?</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Disclaimer: I don’t own squat except for Ami. I’m just playing in Square-Enix’s sandbox, yo. Also, I need feedback and lots of since I know I’m not perfect and if things don’t mesh or match up, I’d like to know how to fix it. Anyways, on with the story!</p><p>Trigger Warning: blood, some torture/stabbing, results of torture</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Chapter Thirty-Six</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ami caught herself actually wondering if the events in Wutai were just a bad nightmare as she went through her old routine. Wake up early, go through her tai chi routine, have breakfast, change into her uniform, and travel to work with Seph in his car. She glanced over, seeing his shortened hair and realizing that no, Wutai was not a dream. All that had really happened. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You seem troubled,” he stated calmly, his eyes on the road.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It just… I don’t know. A lot of crap happened back there and now, it feels like we’re living our pre-Wutai lives,” she stated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Except that your hair is longer and mine’s shorter,” he stated moving a gloved hand to ruffle up her hair which was only a few inches of loose curls and ringlets before dropping his hand and clearing his throat, “Genesis has made it clear he’s interested in taking you off to discuss materia. Specifically, parallels in how the games dealt with materia as well as to test how well you know materia.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I figured he’d be itching to quiz me on materia once he saw how I arrange my materia on my equipment. It was what drove him to grill me about things,” she said with a smirk.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Angeal and Zack also wants to take you on a mission to see how you’ve progressed,” he stated evenly, “but the first priority will be to organize the paperwork which has undoubtedly taken over my desk yet again.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Which sounds like it’s going to be team effort,” she stated with a frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m afraid I may have made you indispensable when it comes to organizing paperwork.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Only because you’ve yet to get a secretary. We both know that I’ve also got group training and drills this afternoon as well,” she said with a frown. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“One could make the argument that I do, in fact, have a secretary and she’s the best secretary I’ve ever had.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“With all due respect, I’m quite certain I have more skills than knowing how you like to organize your paperwork, sir,” she commented with a smirk.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, of that I’m quite aware,” he responded as the car pulled up to Sephiroth’s parking spot.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ami found that her first day back after the mess in Wutai and her extended stay in the labs was exceedingly busy. She spent the first several hours listening to music as she dealt with the near mindless tedium of sorting paperwork, falling into old grooves. Seph merely raised an eyebrow at her as she hummed along and he didn’t seem to get on her case. She figured that as long as she didn’t give him the idea that it was causing her to slack off, he wouldn’t mind. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“They weren’t lying when they said that Sephy’s got you slaving away, Little Sister,” Genesis commented once he’d gotten her attention and she’d stopped the tunes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh yes. He’s a real taskmaster,” she commented with some sarcasm. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She swore she heard him scoff from his desk before saying, “I can spare you for a few hours if it means that we can get a more accurate idea of your materia skills.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Okay, boss,” she commented before looking over at Genesis, “sounds like it’s time for you to pick my brain.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Your world has some interesting idioms,” Genesis muttered before leading her off to the materia range.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She felt like she was quizzed on everything to do with materia, covering things like what each type of materia did, the materia combinations she knew, and her accuracy and stamina. She was amused by his reactions as she revealed the depths of her knowledge.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I just might steal you from Sephy,” Genesis commented, “you’re almost as knowledgeable as I am.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I haven’t even gone over locations of what could be rare materia in the games. It’d be funny if the Comet materia is still in the Forgotten City or if Odin’s in the mansion or if Knights of the Round is in the northeast island but that required a golden chocobo in the game…” she prattled, seeing Genesis twitch at the mention of all of the rare materia.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m going to need you to make a list of all locations of all the materia you know of and I’ll put in paperwork to create the missions for us to collect them,” Genesis stated, a fire in his eyes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ami wondered if she’d created a monster.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ami waited for the elevator doors to open to take her back up to the SOLDIER floor when the doors parted and she saw a woman in a red dress and instantly wished that she was anywhere but right where she was. She merely stepped into the elevator and reached to press a button but her hand was slapped away.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ve been wanting a little chat, Anderson,” the woman said with a smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Director Scarlet, is it?” Ami asked, doing her best to be polite.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She did not want to insult the other woman when she was in the position to make her life hell. Or torture her. She didn’t feel in the mood to be tortured, lest of all the kind of torture the blonde would put her through.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It is,” the blonde said with a smile, “you’re almost adorable. Just how much training did he put you through to sound like him?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I honestly have no idea what you’re talking about. I’m expected to report in with my mentor, so if you can excuse me,” she said, reaching for the button before Scarlet grabbed her hand, her long nails digging into the flesh.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I won’t excuse you when there’s so much I need to know from you,” Scarlet almost hissed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“If you wish to discuss things with me, I suggest you inform my mentor. If I don’t inform him of where I’m going, he will grow concerned as I tend to keep him informed as to my current whereabouts.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I wasn’t aware he was that controlling.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hardly. It’s standard security procedure from my world. Always make sure that someone knows where you’re going. My world’s a bit rougher on women than here,” she stated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It doesn’t matter,” Scarlet said dismissively, “in fact, if you’re enough of a lure to bring him to my office, then it would be worth it. I’ve been trying to get a private conversation with him but he’s been avoiding me for so long.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s not like he’s a Director or anything so why would he want or need to waste your time? He’s basically beneath you, Director.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oho, clever. You may not have much in the way of looks, but you clearly are smarter than you look. Unlike many on the Board, I’m well aware that he is quite capable of rising to greater heights. I’m certain that if he showed more interest in his career outside of stabbing things, he could easily surpass Heidegger.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She wasn’t going to open her mouth and voice any ideas and instead opened the dormant mental connection she had with Seph.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘First of all, I want to assure you that I’ve done absolutely nothing wrong.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘That does not inspire my confidence.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘I might be low-key kidnapped by Director Scarlet.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She heard him let out a sigh in her head before sending, <em>‘just watch your mouth around her. There’s not much I can do to help. She’s been trying to lure me into her web for years.’</em></span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘She seems to think that you could surpass Heidegger.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Only because she seems to think I would more easily crumble at her feet than he would.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Perhaps this could be taken as a sign to work on future plans. After all, if you rise to Heidegger’s position, it could make it more difficult for Hojo to get at me. Especially since you’d be able to have the Turks in position to defend me from Hojo if needed. Sure, it may make your fangirls more eager since you’d have more status but we could easily circumvent it if you were to make an announcement of being in a relationship.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘I have been considering my options. Just keep your wits about you. Scarlet can be as dangerous as Hojo, just in different ways.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“With all due respect, Director, but it sounds to me that you wish to waste my time by using me to bait my mentor.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, there’s more to it than that,” Scarlet said with an air of amused malice as the doors parted and she found herself practically dragged along by the clearly elder woman, “I need to know more about the weapons of your world.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“If I may ask, how much do you expect a Turk or a SOLDIER to know about weaponry? Maintenance, reloading, the difference between the different types of rounds and their uses, but you wouldn’t ask them about the scientific underpinnings, would you?” Ami asked as she followed along to what looked to be a large room with a table between two chairs.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She scoped out the room, seeing only one way out, there weren’t any obvious surveillance equipment, and recessed ceiling lighting. She could guess that there were flunkies and goons in position to enter and obey Scarlet if she called for them. A deep frown wanted to form but fought it off; she didn’t want to give Scarlet too much information. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m quite certain that you know more than you let on, girlie,” Scarlet said, looking quite threatening, “we can do this in a much more pleasant way - over drinks and snacks - or I can torture it out of you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’ll run out time before you can get anything useful from me through torture and I don’t particularly feel in the mood to be tortured right now,” Ami said as she moved the chair a few more inches back from the table before sitting down, propping her heels up on the table and crossing her legs at the ankle, “so let’s have a pleasant conversation then.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Let’s start with your pistols. What do you know of them?” Scarlet asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Bargain bin pieces. Very basic. Very cheap. Uses nine mil rounds. I put bullets in and pull the trigger,” Ami drawled with a sigh, “I don’t really know more than how to use them and how to clean and maintain ‘em. In my line of work, we generally use hollow point rounds since they do more damage and we’re usually in close range.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And what are hollow point rounds?” Scarlet asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ones that come in a box that says they’re ‘hollow point’,” Ami said with a shrug, “I assume they’re rounds with a hollow point.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re holding out on me,” Scarlet almost growled.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hardly,” Ami said, going through her pockets to grab one of her few remaining candy sticks, “I was a street thug, not some engineer. You likely know more about the hollow point rounds than I do since I know I had some on me after my fight with Sephiroth.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I will admit that the only thing that caught my eye with your weapons was how powerful the bullets were. They were strong enough to tear into a SOLDIER,” she said with a small smile, “I’ve been trying to devise ways of dealing with them in case of emergencies and you fell right into my lap, thanks to Hojo. But everything else… barely even worth keeping.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Scarlet set down a plastic bag that held what Ami could see were her two pistols and her daggers. She immediately looked at Scarlet.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Bribing me with my toys if I’m a good little girl, Director?” Ami asked with a smirk.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“If you’re a good little girl,” Scarlet said with a smile of her own, “so tell me of the weaponry of your world.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I just know what existed there, not how they were made. In many cases, I don’t even know how they operate. And there’s a lot of categories so I don’t even know where to start,” Ami said with a shrug.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Let’s start with the strongest weapon you know of.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ami looked down. She’d seen enough documentaries. The attacks had been covered in her history classes, usually in the terms of it having been necessary but she’d seen enough documentaries to know the truth. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“They were bombs, used twice in the time of my grandparents. A single one was able to destroy a whole city. Those closest to the blast were vaporized, leaving only baked-in shadows. Many more died within minutes, days, and months. The ones unlucky enough to survive the attack were studied. Many died from radiation burns and radiation poisoning. Others, from cancers created by mutations within their bodies. It would only take a few hundred to render a whole planet lifeless,” Ami said with a frown, “and I have absolutely no idea how the weapons were made, just that it involved atoms.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ami didn’t see how Scarlet licked her lips like a hungry predator, how eager she was to learn more.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Tell me more about them, these weapons,” Scarlet said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I told you everything I know,” she said with a frown, looking over at Scarlet, “I’m not a nuclear scientist, Director. I wasn’t given detailed schematics, just the historical events and the very basic explanation.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You really are useless, aren’t you?” Scarlet asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Only useful when accidents need to be arranged or trash needed to be taken out,” Ami said with a shrug and a smirk, “it’s what I chose to be.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I suppose you know just as much about all the other weapons of your world,” Scarlet said with a sigh.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I wouldn’t say all…” Ami said with a shrug, “three to one ratio of aluminum powder and ferric oxide. Light a match and toss it on a pile of that stuff. Gives one hell of a flame.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m aware of that combination,” Scarlet said with a frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ami started listing off her knowledge of explosives, her mind going over everything she knew. Apparently Seph had been listening on because she caught some amusement and mild concern. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘...you know your explosives, don’t you?’ </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘They’re great for intimidation. And who doesn’t love playing with fire?’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘... I see that I should monitor your exposure to Genesis. I don’t want the tower or our apartment to burn down. As it is, he’s eager to take you on some materia hunting missions. I get the impression he might be taking you away from me.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Is that jealousy I detect?’ </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Absolutely not. Just concern for the state of the Planet. I don’t enjoy the idea of everything burning down because of the two of you.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Oh ye of little faith. We won’t burn everything. The ocean would still exist.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Not funny.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Just like you’re not jealous? He’s not going to steal your favorite stuffy from you, Seph.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Of course not. I refuse to allow it.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ami just let it go for now. She wasn’t going to deal with that when she was still being grilled by Scarlet. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And that’s all you know?” Scarlet asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Pretty much,” Ami said, still relaxed, “have I earned my toys and freedom yet?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“There’s still an issue that needs to be resolved between us,” Scarlet said with a frown and a glare.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“There is?” Ami asked, putting on her best clueless face.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes. There is,” Scarlet nearly growled, “you and your mentor are getting too close for my comfort.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“The relationship between a mentor and mentee tend to be rather close,” Ami said lightly. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You spent almost the entire time he was in the medical tent at his side,” Scarlet nearly snarled.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“First, I was given extra duties in the medical tent because I was being insubordinate. Second, he’s my friend. If it happened to be another one of my friends, I’d have done the same.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re practically in his shadow.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And Zack’s practically in Angeal’s shadow if you cared to pay attention. Again, to be expected.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He has you play secretary.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Which started as an extra duty as a punishment for misbehavior and I do so because he’s my friend and I like to help my friends.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That still doesn’t make me comfortable over how close he’s gotten to you. Either put distance between the two of you or I’ll be forced to make distance between the two of you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Threatening me, Director?” Ami asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Just making sure we’re clear that Sephiroth will be mine to play with. He just doesn’t know it yet,” Scarlet said with a predatory look.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“With all due respect, Director, but Sephiroth isn’t some dildo you can play with at your leisure. And it’s because that’s how you see and treat him as one that he’s been doing the intelligent thing and avoiding a harpy like you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She saw Scarlet’s slap coming and gently held onto the other woman’s wrist. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“How dare you!” Scarlet hissed before calling out for her flunkies.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She dropped Scarlet’s wrist as infantrymen ran in, brandishing rifles.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I should warn you that their rifles are loaded with ammunition that is based on yours. The bullets should go through you so very easily if you don’t behave,” Scarlet practically purred as she opened the plastic bag which held Ami’s weapons, “I’ve seen how sharp these knives are. Let’s see how well they stand up to the body of a SOLDIER Third Class.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She shifted and heard the guns snap and cock at her and frowned.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Now, be a dear and take off your armor and shirt and lay on the table with your feet on either side of the bag here,” Scarlet instructed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And if I tell you to f---k off?” Ami asked with a smirk.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She felt searing pain cut into her shoulder moments before hearing the bark of the rifle. She bit back a cry of pain as she cut off the mental connection. She didn’t want Seph to know, for the mere fact that if he knew she’d just been shot, he’d come rushing in like a vengeful angel of death. And he’d fall into Scarlet’s grasp, assuming he didn’t automatically butcher the harpy.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Now, be a good little girl for me,” Scarlet purred.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She gave Scarlet a rude gesture with one hand and with the other, started to undo the straps to her harness and stomach guard. She saw Scarlet nod at one of the infantrymen and another burning, piercing pain went through her other shoulder. She couldn’t bite back the scream.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What the hell?! I’m doing as you instructed!” Ami screamed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I never gave you permission to do so while giving me a rude gesture. It seems that your manners are lacking more than I thought. Something I should rectify very soon.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The moment that Sephiroth knew that Ami was in Scarlet’s clutches, he knew that he was going to need to come up with a plan. He knew that Scarlet had been trying to get him alone where she could attempt to do things to him that he had originally had no interest in doing with anyone. And now, he had to admit to himself and only himself that he had a very slight interest in doing such things with a particular individual. If not for some extenuating circumstances, of course.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He had to push troublesome thoughts and memories aside. He knew that Ami was insane and suicidal and that it was only a matter of time before things were said that were better off not said. It was like some of her insanity meant saying the worst things possible to people she didn’t like. He picked up the headset on his desk and dialed a short string of numbers. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, ya reached General Affairs Division: Auditing, also known as the Turks. Reno speaking.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“This is Sephiroth. Can you please pass me along to one of the adults down there?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m an adult. What can I do ya for?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“My mentee is tardy and she’s not known for her tardiness. I want to ensure that she didn’t get abducted by anyone while she was going from the materia range to the SOLDIER floor.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I can check the cameras for ya, if there’s something in it for me.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“An equivalent favor in the future, to be agreed upon when said favor is called in. I wish to reserve the right to decline if I feel that the favor is inappropriate. Would that be enough incentive?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Or you could give your mentee my personal PHS number. How’s that work?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Why would you want her PHS number?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m curious and I want to get to know her. There’s nothing wrong with that, is there?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Or you could ask her for that information yourself at a later time. I don’t wish to give out her contact information without her permission.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Good enough. I’ll call back when I have the information.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sephiroth couldn’t help but to let out a breath once the line went dead. It was bad enough not getting jealous over Genesis wanting to borrow Ami without adding in a Turk who clearly wanted to hook up with her. This was definitely a new feeling and he wasn’t fond of it. This drive which demanded that everyone leave her alone. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He shook his head, forcing the troublesome thoughts out of his head. Ami wasn’t something he could claim and chase everyone from, even if he wanted to. She was more than capable of choosing whom to spend time with and if she decided she wanted to spend time around a Turk or Genesis, it was her choice. He just had to remind himself that he wouldn’t take away what few freedoms she had because of her position as his mentee. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He went back to focusing on organizing the month and a half worth of paperwork which was insane just how much could materialize in his office in such a short span. He just knew that he was going to need to take some home to work on every day until it was done. Which meant that he was likely going to be too exhausted to do what he’d done the previous night. He found himself nearly being pulled into the memory as he stared at a page of a report. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He’d never had issues with his impeccable focus before. This was definitely something he absolutely hated. He shoved the memory and thoughts away and went back to reading the report. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A few reports and a couple of mindless forms later, he noticed that some images and thoughts were coming over the mental connection. Chemical compounds and flames and fireballs associated with them. He paused before groaning. Of course she would not only be insane and suicidal but was also a pyromaniac who clearly enjoyed seeing things explode. He just hoped that Genesis didn’t find out about that part about her. One pyromaniac at a time was bad enough but two, teaming up, was likely to burn down all of Midgar.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After a short mental conversation with Ami about his concerns regarding her pyromania, he returned to his paperwork. He’d gone through a few more forms when there was a stabbing pain in his left shoulder moments before the mental connection was closed. The pain evaporated with the mental connection, leading to some concerns. He was aware that Scarlet had a reputation of engaging in torture but he hoped that Ami would be spared.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His PHS rang and he answered with a curt, “Sephiroth.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Your mentee is with Scarlet on floor forty-six. I’ve got no eyes on that floor, sorry,” Reno’s voice stated, “good luck.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He ended the call and stood up, hearing joints pop as he moved in ways he hadn’t for hours at this point. He looked over to the place of honor he kept Masamune in his office before deciding that it wasn’t good form to approach one of the Directors with his sword ready. Even if he itched to bring it with him. Instead, he simply strode out to the elevators.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Once the elevator doors opened onto floor forty-six, he could smell blood. But not just any blood, but blood that had mako in it. The blood of a SOLDIER. His instincts demanded he charged in but he merely took a few deep breaths and pushed such thoughts from his head. He needed to think clearly, not succumb to his instincts. His instincts which, to his annoyance, had been more of a nuisance as of late.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He saw some infantrymen guarding a door and approached. They didn’t raise their weapons at him. As he drew nearer to the door, the scent of SOLDIER blood became stronger. The infantrymen merely nodded to him and opened the door for him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As the door slid open, he heard Ami chuckle before saying, “twice.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The scent was overwhelming as he saw puddles of mako-enriched blood on the floor, forming around the legs of the table. And on the table was Ami. She laid on her back, her torso bared and with long cuts all over her torso and arms. There were two bullet wounds, one on each shoulder. He saw Scarlet standing over the table, holding a pair of very familiar knives before plunging them into Ami’s body in clear fury. Ami flinched but didn’t scream as the knives dug into her sides, her head leaning back, her eyes staring until they locked onto him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And never again!” Scarlet screamed, “I will have him!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I hope you weren’t discussing me,” he stated, stepping into the room, glaring at Scarlet, “apologies, Director, but I’ve come for my mentee. I request that you relinquish her to my care.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ah, Sephiroth,” Scarlet said, letting go of the knives as she stood up to face him, the knives left embedded in between Ami’s ribs, “finally you’ve deigned to visit me, as much as I’ve been trying to invite you over for a visit.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I have seen no reason to visit, as you put it, until you absconded with my mentee. And now I am here to collect her,” he stated, his words icy and formal.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I have no problems handing her over at the end of our transaction,” Scarlet practically purred.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Geddout,” Ami said, her voice harsh and yet weak and tired, staring at him, “not worth it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What are the terms of this… transaction of yours?” he asked, still icy and formal.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“One hour. Just the two of us and necessary equipment.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He did his best to not scowl at her terms and instead looked over at Ami. She gave him pleading eyes, begging him. Likely begging him to leave. But he knew he couldn’t, not without her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Or you could relinquish my mentee to me and you won’t have to hear from Hojo. I’m certain he will torment you over what you’ve done with his newest project.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hojo could keel over and die for all I care. He’s slime, not worthy of my attention,” she said, dismissively before giving him a look which made him uncomfortable and sick to his stomach, “and yet, he created quite the masterpiece. One which has never been fully broken in.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Her words made him seethe. He wasn’t some object, that he knew. He was a human being and he refused to play the part of her sex toy. Or anyone’s sex toy for that matter.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I have no problems carrying my mentee out even without an agreement from you,” he caught himself growling as he drew closer to Ami.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He wanted to hit Ami with enough Curaga that he’d feel faint or her wounds were all sealed, whichever came first. But there was the issue of bullets and knives buried in her body. Those were best removed first. He could hear her uneven breathing, likely from the pain she was doing her best to hide. He took one step towards her and heard rifles being cocked. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You do know that bullets would be nothing but a mere nuisance to me,” he said, his words still coming out as a growl. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“But these are special,” Scarlet said, approaching him so that she was between him and Ami, drawing closer, “they’re backwards engineered from the bullets your mentee had on her. The same kind which gave you that scar.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>At her last words, Scarlet’s fingers touched the scar from when Ami had shot him, only months previous. One which he knew matched Ami’s scars from Masamune. He grasped the hand which was lightly touching the scar, trying not to hurt her even if everything within him demanded it. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Let the bullets come,” he stated, letting go of her hand and striding past her to approach the table. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He picked up the plastic bag full of equipment he recognized as being Ami’s before gathering her up in his arms, carrying her as he’d seen referred to as ‘bridal style’. He could feel her shaking and trembling as he could tell that she’d grown pale, whether it was from pain or blood loss, he didn’t know. All he knew was that she needed to get to the Medical floor and the sooner the better.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He knew he was going to have people yelling at him, but there were things he refused to compromise on. He was human and he was done allowing people to walk over him because he was technically company property. Had Ami not told him of his potential origins, he might have just rolled over because it was easier and didn’t result in several Directors screaming at him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Let them go,” Scarlet said with a sigh before muttering, “why couldn’t he have used a control chip like he did with them?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She had thought Sephiroth couldn’t hear her. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He did.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The moment people saw Sephiroth striding towards them from the elevators, looking as if he were going to eviscerate the next person he saw while carrying a bleeding body in his arms, everyone was taking cover. Blood covered the man’s chest and dripped onto the floor as he proceeded towards the patient intake area. No one dared to make eye contact with the fearsome and intimidating warrior out of fear.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>In reality, he was just concerned for Ami as he carried her, feeling her slowly lose consciousness, no matter what he did outside of inflicting pain on her. And he refused to do that; she’d been through enough pain. She looked up at him with almost closed eyes, mako green in addition to the dark brown irises she’d started out with. It almost reminded him of the dark bark of a tree with moss covering it in patches.  </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>One of the physicians approached and brought over a stretcher for him to lay her on top of. He carefully laid her down upon it, careful not to jostle the knives which still were dug into her body. He hated that Scarlet had used Ami’s on weapons to torture her with. Weapons which he knew she had missed and cared for as he cared for Masamune. He saw her eyes open wider as she clearly noticed that he was no longer holding him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’ve done enough, sir. We’ll take it from here,” one of them had told him as he tried to follow them as they carted Ami off.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Inform me if anything happens,” he stated before stalking off to return to his paperwork.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : : .</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Author’s Note: 2/25/21</p><p>I never intended for Scarlet to torture Ami but when Ami opened her mouth, I figured that would be the result.</p><p>I was contemplating Scarlet using Sephiroth’s conditioning to obey her (Winter Soldier style) but decided that things were dark enough. </p><p>I can’t promise a chapter tomorrow since I’ll be busy all afternoon.</p><p>Later!<br/>~Gregora</p><p>Next Time on BtV: Ami recovers. Drama starts to unfold.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0040"><h2>40. Recovery and Denial</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Ami recovers. Drama starts to unfold.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Chapter Thirty-Seven</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ami was thankful that she woke up in a small room on what she guessed was the medical floor. She doubted that Hojo would go to such lengths as to make a room look like a comfy hospital room with flowery curtains that didn’t so much as darkened the room as they just softened the sunlight. She saw the familiar sight of an IV hooked into the back of her right hand and traced the tubing with her eyes all the way up to the pouches of clear liquid and blood. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Her chest ached and itched and her sides were the worst of it. She closed her eyes and sighed. At least there was no Hojo and definitely no Scarlet. She idly wondered how Seph would react if he knew what had set Scarlet off to torture her. She assumed he’d get on her case for having opened her big mouth. He’d likely react worse if he learned that the torture had continued because she’d kept smarting off and riled up the other woman. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span><em>‘You’re awake,’</em> she heard Seph say in her mind, <em>‘you lost consciousness about two hours ago.’</em></span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span><em>‘Thanks for rushing to my rescue like that,’</em> she responded,<em> ‘I’m sorry I couldn’t avoid being kidnapped like that.’</em></span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘I don’t blame you. I’ll be over to check on you soon.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘You probably should blame me for things escalating.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Oh? What leads you to believe that?’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She sent him the statement she made and felt out the emotions he was leaking onto the connection. Surprise. And what was that? It was a warm feeling, whatever it was. It wasn’t anger or upset. It was a comfy feeling, one she wished she could wrap around herself. But there was also concern and resignation.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span><em>‘You didn’t have to insult her to make your point,’</em> he sent as she heard a knock on the door frame.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She looked over, seeing three familiar faces. Angeal, Genesis, and Zack. All of them looked worried or concerned, or in Genesis’s case, angry. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What happened?” Genesis asked in a tone that clearly said to her socially clueless mind ‘tell me who I should kill.’ </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I got kidnapped by Director Scarlet,” she said with a frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She could almost see flames in Genesis’s eyes as he said, “I’m going to kill her. It was bad enough with how she kept trying to jump Sephy but now this?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“She usually doesn’t go to the extent of flaying people alive, Gen,” Angeal stated with a frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I accused her of looking at and treating Seph as a dildo and called her a harpy,” she said quietly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She saw Angeal’s hand go to his face as Genesis only grinned and laughed. Poor Zack looked confused. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You didn’t,” Angeal groaned.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Finally someone calls her out on her shit,” Genesis said with a grin.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“...What’s a dildo?” Zack asked, utterly confused.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Everyone stared at the completely innocent teenager. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s best to be discussed later,” Angeal said cautiously.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Like when I’m not in the room,” Ami said, feeling completely embarrassed. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I still can’t believe you said something like that, Little Sister,” Genesis said with a wide grin, not bothering with the uncomfortable topic which would shatter some of the teen’s innocence, “but I doubt she’d try to flay you alive over it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No, she tried to slap me for it. Then ordered me to bare my chest to her. I said two words to her that she took exception to and I got shot in my left shoulder for that, with bullets that were backwards engineered from what I had on my person when I arrived. I then started to follow her directions while giving her a rude gesture. She also took exception to that and had me shot in the other shoulder.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She just saw Angeal practically smother his face with his hand before pulling his hand away to pinch the bridge of his nose and asked, “just how much of what happened could be summed up by saying that you said or did something and she took exception to it?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“From that point on? Probably most.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“If she wasn’t Sephy’s mentee, I’d be asking if we could keep her right now,” Genesis commented with a grin.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You can’t antagonize people like that,” Angeal groaned, “especially not a Director.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“In my defense, she started it and my natural reaction to pain is to rely on sarcasm and try not to vindictively cheese off the person hurting me.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I can see why Seph is convinced that you’re insane and suicidal,” Angeal said with a frown, “you are aware that such actions are why you’re getting a blood transfusion, right?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yep,” she said with a nod, “and I only regret that Seph had to subject himself to that woman’s presence to pull me out of there.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Please tell me that at least you learned something from this experience,” Angeal said with a sigh.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Make sure that the person I’m antagonizing <em>isn’t</em> within stabbing distance?” Ami asked with a smile, getting a tired look from Angeal before she asked, “to not encourage the person stabbing you to go a little to the left?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You didn’t learn anything from this, did you?” Angeal asked with a heavy sigh.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I learned that Director Scarlet is queen harpy,” Ami said, causing Genesis to chuckle, “I also called her a hussy. I also may have insinuated that she’d get more action in the bedroom if she worked at the Honeybee Inn and that it might be a better place of employment for her if not for her advanced age.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Genesis was practically in hysterics as Angeal looked suddenly a lot older than he was and Zack just looked confused.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Does everyone in the world you’re from communicate like that or is it just that your social skills need work?” Angeal asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Social skills, mostly,” Ami admitted, “and I don’t put in that much of an effort if I don’t like the person. And other things.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I swear, it </span>
  <em>
    <span>is</span>
  </em>
  <span> like you’re Genesis’s sister,” Angeal said with a sigh, “and I thought dealing with one Genesis was bad enough…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey, what’s wrong with me?” Genesis asked with a frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Would you like the list in alphabetical order or in order of severity?” a familiar baritone asked with some amusement from the door.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Genesis commented, taking a dramatic pose as Sephiroth walked in.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sephiroth's attention immediately went to the IV bags to determine their levels. Judging by the amount left in the IV bag containing Ami’s blood transfusion, she likely had fifteen minutes left of the bag left before she was ready to be discharged. He looked down at her, seeing that her chest was covered by a gown and had a sheet covering up to her waist as she sat up. She still looked paler than she usually did, but at least she was clearly awake and aware.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“How are you feeling?” he asked as he couldn’t help but to feel concern.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After all, he couldn’t help but to remember how torn up she’d been only hours ago. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Better,” she said with a smirk on her lips, “not quite like I was nearly carved up like a Thanksgiving turkey.” She paused before frowning, clearly noticing that he and everyone else didn’t understand the comparison and said, “right. Bad example.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ve heard from the physicians that once the transfusion is complete, you’ll be discharged under the condition that you won’t do anything to aggravate your stitches nor your healing puncture wounds,” he said with a slight frown oh his lips, “which means that it will be a few days before you can go on any light missions.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ami only nodded in response as he set the missing pieces of her uniform on her bed for when she was discharged. She didn’t seem to be too bothered by his statement, but knew she might get annoyed by his next statement. However, he’d felt that things had gotten too serious with what had happened. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He knew that his actions had informed Scarlet that Ami was important enough that he was willing to face the prospect of getting shot by what were clearly anti-SOLDIER rounds just to get her back. That meant that Ami was in more danger than she had been and he knew now exactly how Ami reacted into danger. By running right into it and poking it with a stick if she felt it wasn’t dangerous enough. But precautions were warranted, even if they were precautions she would disagree with.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And from now on, you are to be under adult supervision. I will not allow this to become a regular occurrence,” he said, still doing his best stern expression and tone to hide the fact that he was uncomfortable with the situation.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She could have died had he not investigated, although if he’d taken longer, Scarlet was likely to inform him that she had Ami. Certainly, Ami would have been in worse shape. He knew that if she got medical treatment, she’d make a full recovery. That didn’t mean he was comfortable with her physical and mental state. She’d been tortured and had bled so much but was defiant the whole time. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He gave Angeal and Genesis a glance that communicated that he wanted to talk to Ami alone. </span>
  <span>It was best that he didn’t have an additional audience for what he was likely to say to her. Since he’d returned to his office after having left her on the medical floor, he’d wondered why she was clearly suicidal and whether it was because of him, or if he just wasn’t important enough to her to give her something to live for. Just the mere idea of there being a day when she’d provoked the wrong person or had done something similarly stupid that he’d be informed of her death or be forced to watch the life drain from her was enough to chill his blood. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It made him wonder at what point had she become so very important to him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I think it’s best that we leave,” Angeal said, looking at Zack and Genesis, getting nods from both of their friends, “if you ever need any help…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sephiroth merely nodded with a slight smile, “I appreciate it. Thank you, Angeal.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was one of the things that made himself feel so lucky to count Angeal as one of his friends. He knew he could count on Angeal and that the other man was a source of stability, a rock in uncertain waters. Angeal was definitely a reassuring presence in his life and, based on Ami’s story, in his absence, he’d fallen into depression, despair, and madness. He knew that he’d clung tighter to those in his heart in response to hearing her story. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And he knew he clung tighter to her in the knowledge that she was trying to save him. That she would keep him from that terrifying path, that monstrous fate. And she’d given him so much, the potential truth of his origins, the evidence of his humanity, that he felt like he couldn’t give her anything of equal value. A deep part of him was amused that in the four months, coming up to five, since she’d entered his life, he hadn’t expected her to have changed it so completely. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But there he was, living what felt like a new life which included so many new emotions he couldn’t understand. It was as overwhelming and scary as it was exciting. He wanted more and at the same time, he had too much. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>By that time, he knew that Angeal, Genesis, and Zack were out of earshot and he could finally speak plainly with Ami. Starting with the most pressing thing he felt he needed to know. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Please tell me that you were thinking something during the fiasco you caused,” he said with a slight sigh.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Does ‘ow’ count, sir?” she asked with a slight smirk.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He fought off the twitch he nearly had at hearing how lightly she was treating the situation. Did she not understand how badly she was injured? Was she even aware that in getting herself injured, he had to sit through a phone call with Hojo where the so-called scientist had screamed at him for two and a half minutes before pausing long enough to get in enough words to tell him that Ami’s physical state was Scarlet’s fault? No, she probably wasn’t. He was fortunate that Scarlet hadn’t contacted him or cornered him in his own office. But that didn’t assuage his anger at how flippant Ami was being.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“This is not a joking matter, SOLDIER Third Class Anderson,” he stated, nearly snapping at her as he continued his stern glare, “you insulted a Director. I believe that I’ve mentioned that your behavior reflects upon me. If I can’t get you to behave yourself, it makes me look like I’m incapable of leading anyone and damages my position within SOLDIER and Shinra. I am expected to be able to operate at a certain level and if you continue to misbehave, I will appear to not be operating within that certain level. Are you aware of the consequences of any perceived inability on my part?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You get a lecture?” she offered quietly, in a clear hopeful tone.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She clearly was trying to not connect the dots she had. He’d revealed enough already that she should know what happened every time he made a mistake or failed. She’d seen enough of his nightmares to know precisely what happened. What could still happen again, as long as Hojo remained alive. He’d accepted such events as just the facts of his existence as Hojo’s science project. But now with his likely humanity known, he was finding it difficult to accept such events as anything but abuse and torture. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I wish,” he said quietly with a scoff before looking away, trying hard not to remember those events that had happened so many times, too many times, “I will be summoned to the Science Department. I will be examined in every way Hojo could devise in order to locate the source of my inability… my apparent imperfection. He will find something to pin on my apparent imperfection and will remove it, either surgically or through… other means. I refuse to allow Hojo to mess with my brain more than he already has. Nor my mind.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Her emotions leaked through the connection and they gave him some measure of comfort. He knew that she cared and saw his pain. He resisted the urge to draw himself close enough to touch her, to draw comfort from her. The fact that she’d also offer him comfort as he needed it further imbalanced things in his opinion. What did he give her in return? What could he give? More freedom than she’d find in the labs, but he’d given that to her just on the basis that he knew what it was like on those floors. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I thought we cleared the VR room incident between us, sir,” she said quietly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I was referring to the incident earlier today with Director Scarlet.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“In which case, if you were hoping for me to feel all guilty and stuff for what I said to the queen harpy, then you’re going to need to work me over harder than that,” she commented with a frown, “because the whole incident was because she spoke about one of my friends in a way I heavily disagreed with, sir.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That was the statement that she made which provoked the response that you shared with me earlier, correct?” he asked, forming his own connections.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He hoped his emotions hadn’t leaked into the connection when she’d shared that moment with him shortly after she awoke. She’d included everything in that moment, including her thoughts and emotions, not just what she’d said. She was completely outraged at Scarlet and had wanted to hurt the Director for whatever it was she’d said. Ami had no ulterior motives, speaking completely from her heart, defending the honor of someone she cared about. That had stirred up so many of his emotions and had he been present in the moment, either when she’d said those words or when she’d shared them with him, he wouldn’t have been able to resist himself from gathering her up in his arms and holding her gently against him as he’d kissed her. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Even the memory of what she’d shared with him was affecting him in the same way. And he couldn’t fall to his emotions, not when there were issues that were far more urgent and required his attention.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She nodded before he asked, “what precisely did she say?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That she saw you as her toy to play with and that she believed that you weren’t aware of it,” she said with a frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I have been aware that she has been attempting to catch me alone and her goals if she were to do so,” he said with a deep frown, “I doubt that it was the reason you were in the state I found you in.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“She tried to slap me and I caught her wrist,” she said with a shrug, which caused her to feel sharp pain radiating from both shoulders, “she then demanded I bared my chest to her. I told her to f--k off. That was when she shot my left shoulder.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span><em>‘And I closed the connection shortly afterwards because I didn’t want you to come to my rescue,’</em> she added through the connection.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span><em>‘Because you didn’t want me to be caught in her web,’</em> he responded, seeing her nod.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Those same feelings emerged again, demanding that he hold her tight and do all those things they’d been doing before she’d discovered a ticklish spot. He knew that such emotions and their demands were inopportune. He still needed to find out exactly what had happened, why Scarlet had torn Ami up so much.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And then what happened next?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I started to follow her instructions while giving her a rude gesture, which she took exception to and I got shot in the other shoulder. She had me lay on that table. I made the comment that my boobs may be smaller but they’re all natural.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Those emotions evaporated under the force of his other emotions. He couldn’t believe Ami would have made such a statement yet he was not surprised that she would. It was starting to form a pattern where Ami’s reaction to being intimidated or threatened by someone was to throw immature insults at them. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>However, if that pattern held, it meant that she never felt intimidated or threatened enough to have done the same to him. That detail made him wonder if she was ever intimidated by him; he was well aware that he intimidated most people. Everyone but Angeal, Genesis, and Zack. Or if he had intimidated them, they’d gotten over it rather quickly.  </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“She took exception to that. She politely called me ugly and I brought up that I had a better personality and didn’t have to sleep around to get to where I’m at. It was also about that time when I told her that with how much she sleeps around, the Honeybee Inn would be a better career choice if her age wasn’t as advanced,” Ami continued with her explanation, looking like she was telling a series of jokes than recounting an incident which could have ended with her demise before turning serious, “she seemed to be obsessed with teaching me manners. I posed the question if she wasn’t just venting her jealousy that I’m apparently as close to you as she wanted to be and that she was just out to hurt me because she foolishly saw me as a threat. I even told her that a snowball had a better chance of surviving a desert than she did with you. And that she was ruining what chance she might have had by harming me, that you’d take exception to my state.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Why did you goad her like that?” he asked with a slight sigh.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Because I didn’t like her, sir,” she said with a deep frown, “she’s like so many I’ve had to deal with in my previous job. I didn’t like them much, either.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You can’t keep doing that,” he said quietly as the door opened and a physician strode in.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ready to be discharged, miss Anderson?” the physician, a woman who looked slightly older than either of them asked with a smile, “I’ll need to disconnect you from everything and check over your bandages.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ami frowned to herself as she sat in the passenger’s seat after an afternoon which was just as annoying and tedious as possible. Once she’d been discharged, she was informed that as long as the stitches were in, she wasn’t allowed to do anything that would tear them, which meant no missions, no heavy lifting, no real exercise. She was also informed that she would be excused from drills for the rest of the week to ensure that she didn’t reopen the wounds. The wounds which were starting to really itch. But what made it so tedious was that once they’d left the medical floor, Seph barely even spoke to her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He’d only spoken to her to give her directions or orders. He’d slunk into his Silver General persona and had clearly devoted himself to the stacks of paperwork he had to deal with while she continued to sort the paperwork into the piles she knew he preferred.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Stop doing that,” Seph said, drawing her out of her thoughts, “or you’ll pull the stitches.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She’d apparently been rubbing at the bandaging over her stitches again and she dropped her hand. She looked out over the passing cityscape through the window.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Are you upset with me?” she asked quietly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Not as much as I probably should be,” he said, his voice almost a tired rumble.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’ve been giving me a bit of a silent treatment since we got back to your office,” she said quietly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I was busy,” he said quietly, his voice rumbling, “and scared.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Scared? Why?” she asked, resisting the urge to mention how, outside of SOLDIER and a couple of Directors, everyone else in HQ was scared of him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A small silence settled between them before he spoke, “it just seems like you’re purposely trying to get yourself killed.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“If I were, it <em>would</em> be an easy out to the whole thing with Hojo,” she stated, still looking out.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Maybe for you. I wouldn’t put it past Hojo to harvest your egg cells upon your death and create children from them anyways,” he said quietly, “all it would change is that you’d be dead and I’d be alone again and those children would never know you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“But it would free you from Hojo’s demand to impregnate me and it would free me from the threat of being kept in a medically induced coma just so he could use me for my womb and eggs,” she said quietly. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“If he were to take you away, I would find out where you are kept. Then, I’d kill him and rescue you. I would be there for you and care for the resulting children as if they were naturally produced.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“There’s a huge problem with that, and you know it. We’d become fugitives and so would the children if any were to have been created. We wouldn’t be able to live peacefully and the children would never know a home. We’d be constantly hunted by the company, Seph. They’ll kill us and take the children.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m aware, however, my actions would remain the same. It would be worth it, even if Hojo’s death may mean I would eventually follow,” he said quietly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m not worth it, Seph,” she said quietly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I disagree,” he said immediately, without hesitation, “if anything, I feel that I’m the one who is unworthy.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Her eyes snapped at him, seeing him just sitting there in the driver’s seat, his head facing straight ahead with a bit of a frown on his face. There was something about him that made her feel that he was uncertain. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’ve done so much for me already and I don’t feel like I could ever repay you. You’ve given me so much comfort and potential answers to all the questions that I’ve had since I was a child. What I could ever offer you in return is… paltry in comparison,” he said so quietly, his voice rumbled gently. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t require anything but your gratitude and I know I have that,” she said with a smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ami sat at the table on the covered patio which led to the door to the apartment. The sun had gone down and she sat in the cold and dark. She’d taken off her uniform the moment she’d returned from work, replacing the clothing with a loose pair of jeans and a t-shirt. She’d thrown on a hoodie before she came outside to the dark and cold. Honestly, it wasn’t that cold to her - she was used to being out in colder temperatures and the hoodie was just thick enough to take care of the bite of the cold. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Her mind was a mess, almost as much as her life was. She had a pile of bothersome emotions and just as bothersome memories. She looked over at the cityscape which stretched on around the apartment as she pulled out her smartphone and navigated to her gallery app. Unsurprising, most of it was full of various images which used to amuse her. Images referencing things that didn’t exist in this world. Jokes only she would get. She kept scrolling until she reached the image she was looking for.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The only image worth keeping out of all of the images on her phone. She smiled down at it. It had been taken to celebrate the last Christmas she had on Earth. Except that she hadn’t known it at the time. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You okay?” she heard Angeal ask from the door.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, probably,” she responded, not looking at him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That tone suggests you’re not,” Angeal said as she heard the door quietly closed, “you want to talk about it?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No, but I probably should,” she said with a sigh as she heard him approach to sit next to her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He didn’t push her or even spoke, just sat there clearly waiting for her to speak. She merely moved the phone so he could see the image. There were four people in the image, two older adults, herself, and a ten year old boy who had hints that one day, he would eventually have the same face as she did except for the difference in hair and eye color. Everyone was wearing similar sweaters. The older adults had a warm smile, the boy had a large grin, and she had her usual ‘I’m-only-smiling-because-I-must’ smile. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Looks like one of the Solstice cards some families send out,” Angeal said, “I assume that the adults there are your adopted parents.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, it was their tradition,” she responded with a small smile, “I never did like getting my picture taken, especially when it’s something that uncomfortable.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Mind if I ask who the child is?” he asked carefully.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“My adopted parents bribed my father and stepmother into allowing me to be adopted by them,” she explained, “with the windfall and my absence, they clearly felt like they were ready to have their own child. I was contacted to set up a visit at a neutral location because my father felt that both of his children should meet each other at regular intervals. I arrived at the park with my mentor for backup.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She remembered that warm late spring day. Just as soon as she’d spotted her father and stepmother sitting at one of the picnic tables, a four year old had hugtackled her with almost as much force as she’d seen Zack use. Except that the boy could only reach her leg. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He’d apparently seen pictures of me because he recognized me easily. He approached me by running up to me and hugtackled my leg. Damn near knocked me off my feet. And I had no idea how to react. The only experience with children was back when I was a child and it wasn’t what you’d call good experiences. To say that I was awkward would be an understatement,” she said, feeling the fond smile on her lips before it disappeared.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She remembered how the boy tilted his head up, his eyes full of pain, fear, and hope. The sight had broken what remained of her heart.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He looked up at me with this look and in a quiet voice, asked me how I managed to escape. I learned that he was also being hurt and in the same ways as I was,” she said quietly, “and my mentor overheard.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“...you were also saving him, when you killed your father and stepmother,” Angeal said quietly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ll gladly be sent to hell for killing those who would make children suffer like I have suffered,” she said quietly, “I’m vengeful and vindictive as all hell if pushed far enough, if something sets me off. Before you start going on about dreams and honor, I gave that all up ages ago when I decided to fashion myself into my adopted father’s living weapon in order to pay him back for the debt I owed to him.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I have to disagree with you on that,” he said with some amusement, “your actions sound honorable outside of one incident.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Perhaps,” she said, looking away, “there’s also the matter that everything just… it’s crazy. Things have just been crazy since I arrived on this world and after all this time, I now feel like I have the time and space to just decompress and analyze things and sort everything out. But it all just feels overwhelming. Especially considering that I… I could do without a few of the emotions I’m feeling.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Mind if I ask what kind of emotions?” he asked quietly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I think… I’m becoming attached to someone I shouldn’t get too attached to. Due to regulations and Hojo’s insanity. And I trust you won’t tell him. I don’t think he’d know what to do with that information and he’s awkward enough as it is.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s normal to become attached to your mentor.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Not this kind of attachment. I’m trying hard not to fall for him, Angeal,” she almost whispered, “he doesn’t need that kind of trouble as it is. He’s got so much to deal with. Hojo’s insanity, the potential future stuff, being Lazard’s second in command… I don’t want to make things more complicated. Sides, there’s the whole fangirl thing which can get in the way.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So what are you going to do about it?” he asked gently.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Try not to die by embarrassment, mainly,” she said with a sigh, “probably what I usually do when things get too overwhelming. It’s amazing how useful denial and avoidance can be in resolving uncomfortable situations. I’ll just pretend like these pesky emotions don’t exist and if something crops up, I’ll blame it on being a fangirl.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Or you can just tell Seph how you feel,” Angeal said with a sigh.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I probably will once I feel like he’s capable of handling it,” she said with a small smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span><em>‘Can you come to my room? I want to check over your stitches,’</em> she heard Seph’s voice echo in her head. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span><em>‘I’ll be up as soon as I can,’</em> she responded.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I just don’t want to see either of you two getting hurt,” Angeal stated before saying, “why don’t we head back in? It’s getting late.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She nodded, getting up and sliding her smartphone back into her pocket before walking into the apartment and up to Seph’s bedroom door. She’d never seen his bedroom before where he’d been in her bedroom several times. She shuffled a tiny bit, reaching for the doorknob before pulling her hand back before moving to knock before pulling her hand back again. Was it appropriate to knock if he was expecting her? Or was it more appropriate to just open the door? What she didn’t want to do is walk in and catch him unawares.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span><em>‘You can’t catch me unaware when I can hear you at my door,’</em> she heard him say in her head, his tone definitely amused, <em>‘you have my permission to walk in.’</em></span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She took a deep breath and opened the door, revealing a bedroom similar to hers. Wooden floors with a white carpet by his bed, dark wallpaper which was likely there before he’d moved in, a bed that looked like hers except that she was certain it was bigger, a plain desk along the far wall which had piles of paperwork resting on it and there was a fairly new looking briefcase resting on the floor next to the desk. She could tell that it was a mirrored version of her bedroom with the placement of the closet and bathroom. The only real pieces of decor which was obviously something he chose were some framed pictures on the shelf above his desk and a bracket near his bed where Masamune rested, gleaming as always and was within his reach as he left his bed. His blankets and pillowcases looked plain, mostly a gray-ish blue. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He raised his brows as he clearly noticed that she’d taken in the sight of his bedroom as he stood next to his bed where a first aid kit was arrayed near the foot of the bed. He was wearing just a pair of pajama pants that were just as plain as his bedding. She knew she was being awkward as she stepped in and closed the door behind her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So… umm… I’m here,” she said, fidgeting nervously.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes, you are,” he responded quietly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You said you wanted to take a look at my stitches,” she said, still nervously.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I do seem to have difficulty seeing them since there’s clothing in the way.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Right,” she said, feeling her face warming up as she removed her hoodie, feeling like she was stripping as she swore Seph’s pale face was starting to show some color. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>An awkward silence stretched between them as she slowly removed her shirt so as to not disturb her stitches more than she already had. She found it difficult to come up with a discussion when she was removing her shirt, baring her chest to a guy that she knew she was developing feelings for. Fortunately, it wasn’t like her chest was completely bare since there were bandages and gauze all over the place. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’ll be easier if you were to lay down,” he said, speaking slowly, like he hesitated to say each word. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Where? On the bed?” she asked, swearing her voice had raised by half an octave before seeing him nod at her. “...exactly how do you want me?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’d prefer you to be alive and unharmed but you appear to disagree,” he stated with a slight smirk.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I meant on your bed,” she said with a frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“As long as you’re comfortable and don’t knock over the first aid kit, it doesn’t matter.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She nodded and slowly made her way towards the bed before she carefully sat down on the side nearest the door and laid down, her legs dangling down from the bed. She was rather surprised by how soft his blankets and bed were. She wasn’t too surprised, considering that he grew up in the labs and she doubted Hojo would have allowed him to have any sort of comfort. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She watched as he carefully approached with a pair of special scissors which were curved enough that there wasn’t a risk of being stabbed as he started to cut through the gauze which wrapped her chest. He looked like he was completely focused on what he was doing as he removed the last of the bandages, leaving her chest bare. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She watched as he put on one of his bangles and a green light appeared from one of the materia slotted within before green energy started to appear on her chest and she felt what pain she was in from her wounds slowly ease away as her stitches started to itch more as did a point on each of her shoulders. His green catlike eyes seemed to be focused intently as he started to look increasingly exhausted by the moment before stopping. She assumed that he’d been long casting Curaga on her until he ran out of gas. He swayed a bit before catching himself and picked up the same scissors he’d used on the gauze.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She heard the scissors snip along and she could only guess that he’d healed her stitches to the point that the stitches themselves were able to safely be removed. She even felt the stitches being pulled. All the while, Seph worked in focused silence until the last stitch was removed. He remained silent as he packed the scissors away and threw away the threads. She was mildly amused as he looked at her with a puzzled look. A puzzled look where she swore his pupils were slowly expanding as he looked down at her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You seem puzzled,” she stated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That I am,” he said quietly, his voice rumbling, “I’m uncertain if it is…” he trailed off, looking away. “I don’t want to be too forward…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ami found it hard to have a straight face when he was clearly being so obviously awkward. It was almost entertaining seeing him trip over his words when, in most other situations, he was confident and could command SOLDIERs and could fight enemies fearlessly. But apparently, her presence on his bed turned him completely made him unable to say a complete sentence. It was a completely adorable scene as he was definitely blushing.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Seph, we were practically making out last night, which took me by surprise, I admit.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I… It was because… I knew that you were interested in such things and… I wanted to show my appreciation… for everything,” he said, still tripping over his words.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And you wanted to show your appreciation the same way again?” she asked, feeling awkward.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Not quite, but I wouldn’t mind if you wanted me to. I just… I got used to how we used to sleep…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Some emotion fluttered within her at the statement that he missed how they used to sleep together. Part of her told her that it wouldn’t help her plan to avoid her emotions while she reasoned that there was nothing wrong with cuddling. After all, he seemed to have no issues with them cuddling and she had no issues with that either. In her mind, she seriously doubted there was nothing else to it. After all, with who he was, he had his choice of just about any single woman and some men and would have no reason to settle for her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Would you rather I go and put on my pajamas and then return so we could sleep together?” she offered, getting a rather shaky nod from him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She slept better that night than she had the previous night.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : : .</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Author’s Note: 2/27/21</p><p>Just resolving things from the previous chapter while putting in some focus of one of the shenanigans that’s going to be a thing for about half of the arc. Aka two people becoming completely awkward and being in denial over each other and themselves. Also some background which casts some light on Ami’s past. I’m glad that I’m seeing comments from people reading this to let me know that they’re enjoying just how dark my mind gets. You guys are giving me a sort of push to keep going!</p><p>Laters!<br/>~Gregora</p><p>Next Time on BtV: A plan is made to go on a mission to obtain the Keystone and Phoenix materia. Sephiroth starts his investigations. Angeal gets an important phone call.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0041"><h2>41. Plans, Investigations, and Drama</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>A plan is made to go on a mission to obtain the Keystone and Phoenix materia. Sephiroth starts his investigations. Angeal gets an important phone call.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Disclaimer: I don’t own squat except for Ami. I’m just playing in Square-Enix’s sandbox, yo. Also, I need feedback and lots of since I know I’m not perfect and if things don’t mesh or match up, I’d like to know how to fix it. Anyways, on with the story!</p><p>Trigger Warning:</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Chapter Thirty-Eight</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ami instantly reacted to the incessant screech that she’d later swear sounded like someone had used a chocobo for a squeak toy by attempting to leap off the bed and defend herself using the closest object at hand. Unfortunate for her, she had been expected to only be tangled up in sheets. She hadn’t been expecting to be tangled up in someone who had somehow found a way to entangle themselves with her - or was it the other way around? The result was that she’d tried to leap away but had instead had launched herself almost to her feet before practically belly flopping onto whatever she was tangled up in. She heard a grunt of pain before the screech died with a click. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She looked about as she tried to make sense with what happened as she was pulled back against something that was rather firm and warm and felt safe. Her not quite awake mind acquiesced to the feeling of safety and comfort.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What was that all about?” she heard a familiar voice rumble.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was a pleasant voice, one that was quite soothing. She still needed to answer the nice voice’s question. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Unfamiliar sound,” she murmured.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Just the alarm,” the familiar voice rumbled.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hadn’t heard it before. Could have been dangerous,” she murmured.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Next thing she was aware of was that whatever she was entangled by or what entangled her was moving. She forced her eyes to open, blearily seeing lots of white, gray, and something very pale. She blinked a few times as she tried to re-engage her limbs to try to help as she realized that what she was entangled with and what she’d landed on wasn’t quite a what but a who. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I hope I didn’t hurt you,” she murmured as she finally freed herself</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It takes more than an uncoordinated body slam from you to do more than cause mild discomfort,” he said with an actual chuckle, “I applaud your reflexes, however.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Still, sorry,” she murmured as she got up, “gonna get ready. Meet you downstairs?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She heard a hum of assent before she ambled back to her room and went through her morning shower where her brain started to boot up. She had her smartphone at a safe distance, blaring music as she sang along in the shower. As she relaxed under the spray, she did her usual routine of blocading her thoughts, keeping them shielded or at least behind a wall. Not so much as blocking off the connection as it was controlling what she sent over the connection. To her relief, she’d gotten better at keeping her private thoughts private. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And a rather private thought was boiling away at the back of her mind as she remembered what he’d told her the previous night. That he’d made out with her the night before was because he wanted to give her an experience she’d appreciate because he knew she’d enjoy it. That connected with his previous statement that he felt indebted to her and he couldn’t figure out a way to repay the debt. It all told her that she wasn’t more to him than his mentee and friend. She felt that she was being an idiot with a crush again. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>With a sigh, she rinsed off the conditioner from her hair which she was certain was getting to be a few inches long. It became clear to her that she’d made the best choice to keep her emotions hidden. After all, she didn’t want things to get too weird between them. Sure, there could be an argument for not so friendly things happening when she slept with him last night, but nothing had happened outside of just cuddling together and falling asleep. There was absolutely nothing sexual going on between them, just a couple of close friends, damn her emotions. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Once she’d gotten changed into her uniform, she made her way to the kitchen, seeing that the only thing that had been prepared and ready at the moment was coffee. She’d apparently woken up earlier than her usual due to Seph’s alarm clock. Her usual mug was sitting in front of her chair, clearly half full of coffee already. Seph was also sitting at the counter, his hair clearly still damp as he was dressed in his usual uniform of black leather and gleaming steel pauldrons. She almost thought she took forever in the shower before she remembered that her hair was much shorter now than before. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He gave her a nod, lifting his mug of coffee almost in a salute as she sat down in her usual spot, seeing the usual flavors of coffee creamers plus a new flavor. She turned the bottle over to look at the wrapper on the bottle. Her eyebrows raised as she saw the words: </span>
  <b>Special Solstice flavor - Peppermint Mocha Creamer</b>
  <span>. She smirked to herself as she added the new flavor to her coffee and stirred it. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She paused and frowned before asking, “it’s getting to be that time of the year, isn’t it?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You still have over a month yet,” Angeal commented from cooking breakfast, “what about the world you’re from? What’s your Solstice celebrations like?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Mostly the same as Thanksgiving but with presents,” she commented before saying, “Thanksgiving happens in my part of the world I’m from almost a full month before our Solstice celebrations and it’s an excuse to be around relatives and eating to excess. Our Solstice celebrations are similar but with a few differences. I don’t really follow the main religion behind the celebration but the non-religious myth involving the celebration is that the night before, a man travels the entirety of the world on a sleigh pulled by flying reindeer delivering presents to good children.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sounds almost like our myth except that it’s chocobos,” Angeal commented lightly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“My family had specific traditions around the holiday. Specifically the night before, each of us were allowed to open a present of our choosing. And that in the morning, we’re not allowed to open presents until the adults have had their coffee and everyone has had breakfast. Most of that last rule was because of Keith. He kept waking us all up at like three in the morning.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Keith?” Seph asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Younger half-brother. He was born after I was adopted so there’s an almost twelve year difference in our ages. When the parents died, my adopted parents took him in too,” she explained with a slight smile, “he barely even remembers the abuse before I left. He doesn’t even remember when we first met back when he was four.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What is it like? Having a sibling?” Seph asked, looking at her in curiosity.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m the worst person to ask,” she replied before taking a sip of her coffee, “it mostly felt like there was just another kid in the house, mostly. Another kid who followed me around like he was my shadow and wanted to be like me. And wanted to spend as much time as possible around me to the point that the boss usually had my schedule cleared during the afternoons after the kids were let out of school and I had school drop-off and pick-up duty with the family van. I was the only enforcer everyone in the gang could trust with the kids and it also meant that I was also expected to protect the kiddos with my life, which I’d gladly have done.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She pulled out her phone and navigated to a picture of her with a particularly gangly kid sitting on her shoulders. Both were dressed for summer with caps and sunglasses on their heads and t-shirts and shorts. Behind them was a beach. She passed the phone over to Seph, who looked at the photo with mild amusement.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I can see the resemblance,” he stated before moving to pass the phone back when Genesis joined them and glanced at the image.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Cute kid,” he commented, clearly half awake as he plopped down in his chair, still in pajamas as Angeal poured coffee into Genesis’s usual mug in the usual amounts, “who’s the kid?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Younger half brother,” she explained as Genesis poured creamer into his coffee and she stowed her phone away. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Do you miss him?” Angeal asked quietly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, but he’s better off without me in his life,” she said quietly, “I don’t want him to copy me too closely. Too much of a wreck. As far as he’ll know is that his big sis disappeared when he was ten and he’ll simply move on. It’s not like I could ever go back now, nor would I want to at this point. I show up on that world all enhanced like this and all the governments would be fighting each other over me in order to backwards engineer my enhancements. Just cause there’s laws over there about human experimentation, it wouldn’t mean that I’d live out my life in a nice gilded cage. Although one could make an argument that I’m in a nice gilded cage already. In other words, you three are stuck with me until one of us dies.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“With your bad habits, you’re more likely to wind up dead out of all of us,” Angeal stated quietly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So I smarted off to some people I didn’t like. So what?” she asked with a shrug.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ami, you were nearly flayed alive by Director Scarlet,” Angeal said with a sigh.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It was either flayed alive or shot. Well, shot more and in other places other than my shoulders.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I intend to prevent similar outbursts in the future,” Seph said with a neutral tone, “for both of our sakes.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So when will I be able to take Little Sister off on a materia hunting mission, Sephy?” Genesis asked, clearly more awake now that he had some coffee in his system.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Depends on where it is,” Seph said with a sigh.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“The nearest one I know of is the Phoenix summon materia at Fort Condor,” she said with a frown. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s a bit further out than Junon,” Genesis said with a slight frown, “just about a full week’s trip one way.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And isn’t it close to the southwest coast?” Ami asked, trying to remember the layout of the world, getting a nod from Seph, “then that puts us close to the Temple of the Ancients and in the game, there’s a Red Dragon there which if it’s defeated, the player gets the materia to summon Bahamut. However, to access the temple, a keystone will be needed and we’ll need a robot.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Why a robot?” Genesis asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“The Temple is the manifestation of the interior of the Black Materia. Something needs to grasp the Black Materia from within the Temple and fling it out for the Black Materia to enter its materia form. I don’t know about either of you, but I don’t want it sitting out in the open like that for its puppets to enter the temple and take the Black Materia,” Ami said with a frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“If it requires a keystone, then wouldn’t it be easier to obtain that and safeguard it rather than carrying around a materia that can destroy the Planet?” Angeal asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What’s the location of the keystone according to your knowledge?” Seph asked, taking on his usual Silver General demeanor.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It was obtained from Dio, the owner of the Golden Saucer from defeating the Battle Square attraction. Supposedly, he got it from the weapon seller in Gongaga,” Ami said with a frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Since there’s currently no such thing as the Golden Saucer yet, it’s likely near Gongaga,” Seph said with a slight frown, “I’ll file the paperwork for a mission to Fort Condor and Gongaga for the three of you plus Zack. He could be useful as a guide and I’m certain he would appreciate seeing his family.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It might be his last chance,” Ami said quietly, looking down into her coffee, “within the next… oh… six or so years, the reactor near Gongaga will explode and take most of the village with it. I don’t have much in the way of how or why, just that it happened in the games.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We can’t let that happen,” Angeal said with a frown as he finished cooking and set out serving dishes of food. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“The mission paperwork should reach Lazard’s desk before lunch. I will try to have the mission be approved by the end of today,” Seph stated with a frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And I’ll try to get all the paperwork sorted by the time we leave work today,” Ami offered.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sephiroth stood up from his desk, hearing and feeling his joints pop from having been sitting there for hours, going over paperwork. He had some feeling of relief as he saw that the outgoing box was almost overflowing, but there was still so much left to do. Ami had taken away all the untidy piles that had yet to be sorted, which meant that his desk was far more tidier than it had been the previous day. But there was something he’d meant to research the previous day but he’d gotten sidetracked by the whole incident. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As he strode out, he saw Ami with her earbuds in, clearly focused on her task as she hummed along to whatever she was listening to. He’d learned that she was one of those people who operated at a higher efficiency in such a state. Plus, she appeared to be happier working while listening to music than without. He shook his head in amusement after pausing a moment to watch her work and continued on his way to the elevators.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He exited the elevators and stepped onto the floor belonging to the Turks. He strode through the corridors which weren’t entirely alien to him - he’d been on this floor many times before in a more official capacity, usually to obtain the most recent intel before being sent out on missions. This time was different; he was here for his own research. He was here to verify Ami’s stories. Once he could verify her stories, at least as much as he could where it pertained to him, he was willing to sign the paperwork for the extended mission. He just required the additional verification.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was nothing against her or really a question of whether she was being honest with him - he knew she was completely honest with her story. It was a question of whether the stories itself were accurate. He passed by unmarked doors which he knew were locked to him as he didn’t have the requisite clearance to access them. He had just enough clearance to walk into the main office. He returned nods to Turks who merely greeted him with singular nods. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The corridor was plain, the floor covered in fake-looking marble linoleum with recessed lighting in the ceiling, providing light and a constant hum. The only sound on this floor outside of quiet footsteps and the clacking of heels and the slight sigh of the ventilation system. The walls were a featureless gray, just a hair darker than the floor. The ceiling tiles were identical to the entirety of the building, complete featureless white. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The corridor led to a t-shaped intersection and he continued forward to the plain door in front of him, sliding his ID through the card reader, seeing the light turn green as he heard the click of the mechanism granting him access. He opened the door as he returned his ID to where he kept it and strode in.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The main area of the main Turk office looked much like a meeting room, a projector hanging from the ceiling, pointed at the wall to his right which was a flat, featureless white like all of the walls in the office. There was a table near the middle of the room with comfortable looking office chairs around them. Along the walls save the one the projector was pointed at were couches. Beyond the meeting area was the secretary and her desk. He strode to a polite distance from the secretary, not wishing to loom over the woman and seem overly intimidating - something that Genesis and Angeal had taught him to be mindful of early on in their friendship.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Is Tseng or Veld available?” he asked, wanting to seem polite, using the training Genesis and Angeal had put him through.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“In here, Sephiroth,” he heard Veld beckon him before he strode into Veld’s office, closing the door behind him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What brings you to my office today?” Veld asked with a slight smile, motioning towards one of the chairs before the desk.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He strode over and eased himself down onto the chair before saying, “there are files I wish to access and I do not wish for certain individuals to be aware of my research. I believe that it would be more efficient to make the request in person.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And what are you researching, exactly?” Veld asked, giving him a cautious look.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Two individuals from roughly twenty years ago. Names are Vincent Valentine, a Turk, and Lucrecia Crescent, a scientist,” he said carefully.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Veld looked at him as if the man was weighing options and debating. He’d never seen the leader of the Turks uncertain like this. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“May I ask why?” Veld asked, still clearly uncertain.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I believe I may be connected in some way to both individuals and I wish to find the truth,” he stated carefully, knowing better than to give away too much too soon.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Veld frowned before letting out a sigh that sounded like ‘f--king Hojo’. He could see Veld becoming more resolute under his gaze before the man turned slightly in his chair and started typing furiously.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You owe me a fairly big favor for what I’m about to do,” Veld said with a sigh, “I know you have no love for Hojo and neither do I. However, if Hojo even so much as thinks I’ve given you this information, both of us are going to suffer at his hand. We were only supposed to interact on more official terms than this.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He merely nodded at the Turk before saying, “I have reason to keep my research hidden from him. I wish to know as much as I can about the individuals I mentioned.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I can tell you plenty about Vincent,” Veld said as he typed and clicked a few things with his mouse, “he was my partner up until the Nibelheim mission. His last mission before he died. He was quiet and kept to himself, mostly because he wasn’t what you’d call skilled when it came to dealing with people without shooting them.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>From the angle he was sitting in relation to the screen, he could tell that an image had appeared and Veld was glancing between him and the image before frowning.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You don’t know where you were born, do you?” Veld asked, getting a dissenting hum from him before saying, “this is going to be tricky. I’m going to use a Turk backdoor to access a specific file from Hojo’s database. I doubt I’d find anything because of his rampant paranoia.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He started to hear Veld’s printer starting up, printing out what he could only hope were documents he was after. After a moment, he heard Veld mutter an oath.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Forget the favor you owe me,” Veld said with a deep frown, “it’s on the house. Once you see what I’ve found, you’ll understand. But right now, you need to do something for me. You need to act like we’ve done nothing but act in our official capacities and I’d just given you intel for an upcoming mission. I’ll send someone I trust to your office with the information. You are to keep it hidden and to tell no one of it until you are certain that the only ones monitoring you is my department. Your apartment would be preferable. If you have a briefcase, keep the information in it and keep the briefcase on your person.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He only nodded before saying, “thank you for your assistance, Director Veld.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re welcome,” Veld said with a grim smile, “take care.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Angeal had been putting Zack through a training simulation when his phone rang with the specific ringtone he’d assigned to his mother’s phone number. He’d been trying to reach her the last couple of days and had left messages and he was glad to hear the sound of the ringtone.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hi, mom,” Angeal said as he had his PHS pressed to his ear, not realizing that Zack had wandered into his area of the simulation.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hi, Mrs. Hewley!” Zack shouted loud enough to seemingly inform the whole HQ building that he was taking a personal phone call while on duty.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Who is that with you, Angeal? Is that your puppy that you’ve mentioned in your letters?” his mother asked over the distorted call.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes, it is,” Angeal said with a sigh, “I wanted to ask you something. It’s important and fairly sensitive.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What is it? You know you could ask me anything.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Were you ever involved in an experiment ran by Professor Hollander?” he asked quietly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I figured you’d one day find out,” his mother said quietly, “I want you to know that I never saw you as an experiment or anything but my beautiful boy, Angeal.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thank you. It means a lot to me to hear you say that. I need to go back to work, but I’d love to have a long chat with you over some tea next time I can get out to Banora.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’d love that too. Love you, Angeal.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I love you too, mom.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Once he ended the call, he could see Zack milling about, his arms crossed behind his head with an almost amused smile on his face.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It was almost adorable seeing you go from ‘stern mentor Angeal’ to… that,” Zack said with some amusement.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He merely rolled his eyes at the teen, “don’t give me too much guff over the call. Before too long, we’ll be heading out to a mission to Gongaga. I believe I’ll be able to pay you back for all the embarrassment you’ve caused me. I can’t help but to imagine your mother would </span>
  <em>
    <span>love</span>
  </em>
  <span> to hear all the stories I have saved up.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He watched Zack’s amused expression turn to horror as he dropped his arms before exclaiming, “you wouldn’t!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, I would,” Angeal replied with a grin, “I’m sure your mother and I could exchange some awfully embarrassing stories.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Meanie!” Zack exclaimed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ami had been completely focused on her task. She found it easier to engage her hyperfocus ability when she was listening to music and her mind was only processing two things: the music and her task. Everything else was background and all background wasn’t being processed. So when she felt weight on her right pauldron, she acted completely by instinct. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She threw a punch at shoulder level with her left hand, dropping the paperwork she’d been holding in that hand. As she turned into the punch as it connected, her face almost touched a very familiar chest. Setting down the paperwork in her right hand, she yanked off the earbuds, feeling her face heat up. She’d punched Seph.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I brought us lunch,” he said, lifting up a bag of food in his left hand while looking both bemused and almost awkward.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sorry for the whole… ya know… punching bit. I was focused on what I was doing and wasn’t processing background… stuff… and I was startled,” she explained as she followed Seph into his office.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And your instinct when surprised is to throw a punch,” he stated, seeming more amused than upset.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“At least I wasn’t startled somewhere where I felt less safe. I’ve been known to stab people when startled,” she explained with a slight smirk as she sat down in a chair in front of Seph’s desk.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ll keep that in mind,” he said as he started to unpack the food in the bag, splitting it into two equal piles, “I did try to get your attention by calling for you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Standing in front of me might have been less startling but I might have walked right into you,” she commented as she opened the bottle of water which had been placed in front of her, “when I get hyperfocused like that, I’m not processing anything but my task and sometimes music. I usually don’t even notice if I’m thirsty or hungry. Usually tiredness breaks it though.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I noticed. Even your usual barriers were down and if not for the information from your task going over the connection, I would have been concerned that your mind had ceased functioning entirely,” he said as he finished sorting the food and sat down to eat as well.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s one of those weird mental abilities I have. It only really kicks in if it’s something I enjoy,” she said with a shrug.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You enjoy sorting paperwork?” he asked, quirking an eyebrow upwards.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It was one of those weird things I used to do as a soothing behavior - sort things. Books, toys, what have you,” she explained between bites of what registered to her as the Shinra equivalent of a convenience store sandwich with its alternating soggy and dry bread.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You are aware that I may never seek out a proper secretary for you to train since I know this detail about you,” he stated with a slight smirk.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Except you need a full-time secretary and I need to at least put in some training hours if I want to meet the prerequisites for promotion,” she said with a frown, “I don’t want to stay a Third longer than I have to.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There was a knock on the doorframe, interrupting their lunch. She turned in her seat to see Reno with a stack of folders saunter in as if he wasn’t in a hurry.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Boss said that these needed to get to ya,” Reno drawled in his usual relaxed manner as he handed over the stack of folders over to Seph before turning to face her, “and I got a question for ya, Miss SOLDIER.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And I might even just have an answer, Mister Turk,” Ami commented back with a smirk.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Mind if we exchange numbers? You seem really interesting and I’d like to get to know ya better,” Reno said with a smile and a slight wink.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Why don’t we meet somewhere before I decide to give you that kind of information? For all I know, you’d just be using my number to creep on me. Know of any quiet establishments?” Ami asked in response.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She wasn’t looking at Seph or she would see him give a glare at Reno. Reno was unperturbed by the glare since he wasn’t paying attention to the aforementioned SOLDIER either. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I can think of a few. If you want, I can take you to a couple after work?” Reno offered with a smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“As long as I can get home in time for dinner,” Ami said with a smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I have a say in what my mentee does,” Seph said icily, emitting a rather dark aura as he glared at Reno, “since she is a forced recruit and my mentee, regulations state that her movements and activities are under my approval.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Only in cases if there’s a reason to suspect escape,” Ami stated with a sigh, giving Seph a glance, not really intimidated at all by Seph’s dark aura, “and since I’ve stated that I would be at the apartment in time for dinner, it voids that regulation.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So after work then?” Reno asked, clearly uncomfortable.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sure. Where do you want to meet? By the elevators in the parking complex level?” Ami asked back.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sounds like a plan,” Reno said before bolting out, clearly to escape Seph’s office before said SOLDIER could skewer him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re not going,” Seph stated with a frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Can’t order me not to socialize. There’s no regulations against socialization with those in other departments,” Ami stated, giving Seph a glare of her own, “and I thought you care about giving me as much freedom as you can.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She stared him down as he clearly realized that he was not winning this argument and instead, focused on eating his lunch. She swore he was sulking, reminding her of a housecat when it didn’t get its way as she tossed her lunch-related garbage into the nearby bin. She let out a sigh before grabbing what was left of her lunch.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thanks for the lunch, Seph,” she said quietly before carrying the rest of her lunch and carrying it out to her desk to finish it alone, leaving the mental connection open but keeping her thoughts deep enough that they wouldn’t leak out.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Angeal looked up from where he sat at the kitchen counter when he saw his friend walk in, running later than usual and without Ami near him. He raised his eyebrows, knowing that his friend likely had a bit of a story considering the near despondent aura said friend was giving off. From next to him, he could tell that Genesis noticed the state Seph was in.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You look like you need to drink something a touch harder than coffee,” Genesis commented, “where’s Little Sister?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“She went out with Reno after work,” Seph said with a bit of a huff as he headed towards the stairs, “she said she’ll be back in time for dinner.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So what’s the problem?” Genesis asked, “it doesn’t sound bad enough to put you in this kind of mood, Sephy.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“The problem is, </span>
  <em>
    <span>Genny</span>
  </em>
  <span>, I couldn’t stop it. I tried,” he said with a deep frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I get it,” Genesis said as realization clearly dawned on the redhead, “you’re jealous.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I most certainly am not,” Seph responded, giving Genesis a glare.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Geal, back me up. Is our dear Sephy acting all jealous that a Turk has taken Ami out for drinks?” Genesis asked, turning to him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m not getting involved, Gen,” Angeal said with a frown, tempted to grab a bottle of some sort of booze, “and this clearly isn’t the best time for you to antagonize Seph right now.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thank you, Angeal,” Seph said with a nod as he continued to make his way towards the stairs.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“If you want to talk, you know I’m here for you,” Angeal stated before Seph disappeared up the stairs.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Genesis clearly knew to keep his mouth shut until they heard Seph nearly slam his bedroom door behind him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So, when did my life become one of those dramas on TV?” Genesis asked with a slight frown, sipping his usual post-work bottle of hard cider. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Honestly, about when Ami entered our lives,” Angeal commented with a sigh, “all I regret about her being around is that she clearly is trying to get herself killed.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“She’s a Third,” Genesis commented, “I thought all Thirds go through that kind of phase. When they think they’re indestructible.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t think that’s the case,” Angeal said with a frown, “but I hope that yesterday’s incident opens her eyes.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Think we should tell her how mopey Seph’s being?” Genesis asked after a long sip of his drink.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I doubt we need to. You know what he’s like when he gets into one of his moods,” Angeal said with a sigh.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah,” Genesis commented with a sigh, “he’s going to be stuck in that mood until something drags him out of it kicking and screaming.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I hope I didn’t get you into trouble with Mr. Tall, Dark, and Stabby,” Reno stated as he sat next to Ami at the bar in a quiet hole in the wall he was familiar with.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ami couldn’t help but to chuckle at the nickname. She had to admit that it fit. She took a sip of her drink before commenting.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Just don’t use the nicknames to his face or he just might get stabby,” she commented with a smirk.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey, I may not look it, but I do have a shred of self-preservation. Just enough to know better than to tick him off,” he drawled with a smirk before knocking back more of his drink, “well, too much.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She merely sipped at her drink, remembering how terse he’d been all afternoon. It was like she was in high school again and had to deal with a particularly hormonal girl who’d just got dumped. She thought she was done with that particular kind of drama but apparently, she’d got thrown right into it again, except that the particularly hormonal girl was the Gaia equivalent of Captain America and had a stupidly long sword. Perhaps, he was more like the Winter Soldier, instead. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I swear he was being jealous and controlling,” she muttered, “that’s new for him. Never seen him as either before.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s because he clearly was. That’s usually bad news when it’s a normal guy,” Reno said with a frown, “but him… that’s bad news no matter how you see it. It means that ya could actually get hurt.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Not the first time I got hurt,” Ami muttered, “nearly got flayed alive by Shinra’s queen harpy yesterday.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Queen harpy?” Reno asked, his eyebrows raised.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Director Scarlet,” Ami answered with a frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Fits,” Reno said with a nod, “honestly, I wanted to talk to ya about the wonderful work ya and your friends did before you and Mr. Stabby got shipped off to Wutai. I don’t think I’ve had that good a laugh in years. Tseng looked terrified for days cuz he knew I’d seen it all and was expecting me to pull something. He’s not wrong but I’ve been waiting for him to not expect anything.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You wanted someone to bounce ideas off?” Ami asked with an amused grin.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“More or less. And maybe to mess with our respective bosses,” Reno said with a smirk, “they both seem to need the sticks in their asses moved a bit.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Seph’s not that bad,” Ami said with a frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He was trying to keep ya from making friends outside the ones he deems allowable,” Reno reminded with a frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Betcha that he’d have little problem if you weren’t a dude,” Ami muttered, “sides if we swap numbers, you won’t have to make him all jealous.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Assuming he’d let ya keep me in your PHS contact list,” Reno muttered with a frown, “I know how the jealous controlling types operate.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I appreciate your concern, Reno,” she said with a sigh, “but I’m sure--”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He’s different?” Reno asked before sighing, “look, I ain’t gonna tell ya what to do. Just be careful, alright? I know ya have no other choice than to be his mentee, but that doesn’t mean ya gotta be anything more than that to him. Ya don’t have to owe him nothin’.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And I get the feeling that my saying anything to the contrary won’t get through that skull of yours,” Ami said with a sigh as she decided to change the subject, “so about what you want to pull on your boss… how annoying do you want it to be?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span><em>‘Angeal’s almost done with dinner,’</em> Ami could hear Seph in her mind as she could recognize that she was only a few minutes away.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘I’m a few minutes away, Seph. You don’t have to be like this.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Be like what, precisely?’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span><em>‘In a word? Annoying,’</em> she responded mentally with an audible sigh.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ya okay?” Reno asked from behind the wheel of a rather fancy sportscar, “I doubt we drank enough to get that drunk.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Nah, just a headache,” she sighed as Reno pulled into the parking complex of the building.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Looks like trouble,” Reno stated, looking toward the elevator.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Seph was standing there, radiating a dark, deadly aura with Masamune in his hand and looking as if he hadn’t changed from his work attire. She merely let out a groan.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ll deal with Stabby McGrumpypants. Drive safe,” she said before opening the door and leaving the vehicle.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Reno merely gave her a nod and a little wave before she closed the door. The moment the door was closed, Reno peeled away, clearly not wanting to be within stabbing distance.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“See? I’m home safe and on time,” she announced, spreading her arms, “as I’d said I would be.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He didn’t say anything as he pressed the button for the elevator. Once the elevator doors opened, he motioned her to walk in first before walking in himself and inserted a key into the panel and pressed the button for the penthouse. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Okay, I’ve just about had it with this temper tantrum of yours,” Ami stated once the elevator doors closed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s not a temper tantrum,” he stated with a frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Then what is it? Why have you got your panties in such a twist cause I had drinks with Reno?” Ami asked, giving him a sharp look.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Excuse me?” Seph asked, his menacing aura only increasing.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sorry, but I can’t find a single reasonable excuse for ya,” Ami commented.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And you were accusing me of being annoying.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I wasn’t accusing you. I was telling you that you were being annoying,” Ami commented as the doors opened and Seph stalked out of the elevator with Ami on his heels.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“From my perspective, you’re the one being annoying,” Seph said as they crossed the covered patio.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hardly. You’re the one carrying on worse than a particularly hormonal teenage girl! Even I wasn’t this bad when I was a hormonal teenager. What does it even matter if I hung out with Reno? Would you be this upset if it had been anyone else? What if it had been Zack? Or Angeal? Or Genesis?” Ami asked, having entered the apartment halfway through her spiel, “more importantly, you’re going to need to decide whether you truly desire for me to be as free as possible or under your thumb because you can’t have it both ways and if you flip between them too much, I might just punch you. Again. And harder.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What I want is for you to do as I say when I tell you that you’re not to do something,” he said with a frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Like you told me that I wasn’t going to socialize with anyone outside your short list of allowable people when you tried to stop me from going out to have drinks with Reno?” Ami asked with a frown, glaring at Sephiroth as she edged toward the stairs, “you may be my mentor and to some extent my boss, but there are some things about my life you can’t control. Now, if you can excuse me, I’m gonna go change out of my uniform and get ready for dinner.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sephiroth,” Angeal said calmly as soon as he knew that Ami was well outside of earshot, “as much as it pains me to say it, but she’s got a point. You can’t control all aspects of her life. You need to let her choose her own friends, decide who she wants to spend time with willingly.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Angeal saw how his friend seemed to deflate, becoming more uncertain and nervous. His usual state when not dealing with anything related to SOLDIER, weaponry, combat, tactics, and field medicine. This was his friend’s inner self, the socially awkward man who hated being the center of attention and preferred the sanctuary of a handful of friends. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“But what if she chooses… what if she decides she doesn’t want to spend time with me?” Seph asked quietly, looking up the stairs in what almost appeared to be fear.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sephiroth,” Genesis said with a heavy sigh, “she thought we were going to let you remain Wutai’s prisoner and braved a forest full of Wutai patrols and Shinobi to rescue you. She then kept your regen field up the whole time you were in the medical tent recovering. I doubt she’d kick you out of her life unless you gave her reason to. So don’t.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“But she… I don’t think she sees me as anything outside her pretty friend and mentor,” Seph said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh gods, I need a drink,” Angeal muttered with a heavy sigh, getting a look from Seph.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As soon as Ami was dressed in more comfortable clothes, deciding to just put on a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt, and felt like she could brave the coming fiasco that was to be dinner, she made her way to the kitchen. Everyone was already sitting down and eating with various drinks in front of them. Her place next to Sephiroth had a plate of food dished up and an already opened bottle of hard cider. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She moved her spot a tiny bit further from the silver haired man she wasn’t entirely happy with before sitting down. She swore she heard him let out a small sound. It didn’t matter. She sat down and started to eat, glancing past Sephiroth to Angeal and Genesis.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Genesis, any news about that mission?” Ami asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It appears that the paperwork was approved and we’re authorized to leave Friday,” Genesis stated, “we were also authorized to fly over via Gelnika  and get as close as we can. From there, we should be able to travel via locally sourced Chocobo.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Fun. I’ve never been on a Chocobo before. Or any sort of animal,” Ami stated with a smile, “from what I could tell, it couldn’t be too hard.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We could work on that during our scheduled VR room time,” Sephiroth stated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“If the area surrounding Gongaga is anything like the games, we’ll need to be prepared to deal with Touch-Mes and traveling through jungle terrain,” Ami stated, purposely not acknowledging Sephiroth, “which if they do the same thing as in the game, we’re going to need to stock up on Maiden’s Kiss, assuming that the item exists in this world.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Zack mentioned something like that to me,” Angeal said with a frown, “it appears that it’s not so much as being in Gongaga that’s the issue for him but the travel through the jungle.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I assume we’re staying at least overnight in Gongaga, at least to give Zack a chance to see his family before we leave,” Ami stated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We’re slated to spend three days in and around Gongaga and then travel back to the extraction site and board a Gelnika to Fort Condor. Hopefully, it won’t take more than a few hours to retrieve the Phoenix materia,” Angeal stated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span><em>‘Are you upset at me?’</em> she heard him ask in her head, his tone quiet and curious.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Why would I be upset? It’s not like you tried to control my life. Oh wait…’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Do we know the travel time from the landing area to Gongaga?” Ami asked, looking over to Angeal and Genesis.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Shouldn’t be more than a half day,” Angeal said with a slight frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The conversation died there, leaving a heavy, uncomfortable silence in its wake. In the silence, Ami focused on eating before taking care of her empty plate and equally empty bottle before silently retreating to her room. There, she sat around reading one of her novels half-heartedly before she felt the familiar mental connection.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘If you wish, you could sleep with me again. Maybe without trying to use me as a springboard?’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span><em>‘Not tonight. Good night,’</em> she responded.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He didn’t respond and she had a rough night of things, having issues falling asleep until finally, sleep claimed her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : : .</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Author’s Note: 2/28/21</p><p>So this is the longest chapter so far, at 18 pages in a google doc. Things got out of my control a bit, thanks to Reno.</p><p>So this is a thing that happened. Lots of drama and Angeal’s already so done with it. He promised Ami he wouldn’t tell Seph how she feels and knows that if only one of them just talked about their emotions, things would resolve. Ami’s being stubborn and Seph is just plain clueless and generally bad at emotions. And poor Angeal is in the middle.</p><p>Laters!<br/>~Gregora</p><p>Next Time on BtV: The tense days leading up to the mission.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0042"><h2>42. Forgiveness Under Siege</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Seph discovers why Ami is so upset and asks for forgiveness. Ami goes to ask for advice but triggers a siege. Can she hold off the tide of attackers until help arrives?</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Disclaimer: I don’t own squat except for Ami. I’m just playing in Square-Enix’s sandbox, yo. Also, I need feedback and lots of since I know I’m not perfect and if things don’t mesh or match up, I’d like to know how to fix it. Anyways, on with the story!</p><p>Trigger Warning: panic attacks, psychological abuse, bullying, domestic violence, implied rape, violence, death, murder, lots of death</p><p>Pre-Chapter Author’s Note: </p><p>I just wanted to add some musical info for certain scenes, just in case. They will be added to the Author's Note at the bottom so as to avoid spoilers if you don't want them.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Chapter Thirty-Nine</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She awoke screaming and crying, her chest hurt and ached and burned as she felt around for the device the nurses had told her about. They’d said to press the button and she needed to slam on that button immediately. Her hands shakily ran down the guardrails of the bed until she found it and pressed down the button hard as nurses came running.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What’s wrong?” one of the nurses asked, an older woman with graying hair and the kindest eyes she’d ever seen.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It hurts,” she whimpered, still grasping the device with the button.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Just take deep breaths and you should feel it take effect in a few more moments,” the nurse said calmly, if not a bit sad.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As the nurse had said, she felt the pain killing liquid take effect and her pain was eased down to a dull throb rather than a roar. She let out a sigh as her muscles relaxed. She looked at the clock on the wall. Nearly eight in the morning. Normally, it would be considered oversleeping but she wasn’t in that place now. She’d been told that she could have whatever she wanted to eat and frowned. She’d never been afforded any sort of choice before with the exception of books.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She wore what she was dressed in. Ate what she was given. Her recess activities boiled down to mostly find a place to sit until it was all over or inflict pain on those physically nearest to her. She wasn’t even allowed to take a book with her. Her only choices she was allowed to make was when she was in the school library and she was tasked to check out whatever book she wanted. At first, she was paralyzed by the options given to her - what if she chose poorly? What if she chose a book her parents didn’t want her to read? What if she was expected to decline to check out a book? Her teacher had found her in a corner far from everyone, sitting and rocking back and forth. She didn’t understand what was being said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And now, she was expected to choose her own breakfast? </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The kind nurse handed her what she later understood was a menu - she’d never eaten anywhere but home and school and the school cafeteria menu wasn’t a choice but an announcement of what to expect to eat that day. But this was a list of options. Pancakes, waffles, omelets, burritos, hashbrowns, toast, bagels, fruit… It was just too much. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She started to fight for breath as her sight swam. What was the right option? What was it she was supposed to choose? What would happen if she chose wrongly? Would they take the pain relieving medicine away from her if she made the wrong choice?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There was a hand on her shoulder. The grip wasn’t tight but very loose, more a weight than a grip. As the fingers moved, she heard the creak of leather. This wasn’t what happened. She looked over, startled before seeing Sephiroth standing over her. He appeared to radiate a kind of sympathetic sadness as the scene appeared to pause around them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Apologies for entering your mind like this,” he said, “but your emotions troubled me and I wished to ensure that you wouldn’t fall into a nightmare.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She looked down at the menu in her hands, not looking at him. It had to mean something that he was concerned and wanted to check on her, right? If anything, it meant he cared. It meant that he at least considered her to be special to him in some way, even if it meant he was one of his friends.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“This was… the first time I was allowed to choose what to eat,” she explained quietly, “before this, the only choice I was allowed to make was which books to check out from the school library.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I faced similar stress when I was eventually given the ability to make choices for myself,” he said with some warmth, “I had what they called panic attacks. I overanalyzed the options and was scared that if I made the incorrect choice, I would find myself in Hojo’s tender care.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I was afraid of having to be punished, either with more… work… or…” she said, trailing off, still not looking at him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re worthless except for the money you make for us!” she heard her stepmother screech at her from somewhere around them. “And even then, it isn’t as much as it would have been if you’d have been pretty!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Why would anyone want to be friends with you? You’re weird and ugly,” a kid had told her, the kid’s voice echoing in her dream state.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Wanna be my girlfriend?” a teenaged boy asked before laughing, “psych! I can’t believe you’d fall for it! Who’d want to date someone as ugly as you?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She found herself pulled into another dream. Another memory.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She stood before him. He may have been a model if he wasn’t stuck in some dead-end backwater town, working for the gang which had pushed almost all of the others out of town. His steel gray eyes peered at her before his hand striked her cheek. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“How dare you disobey me,” he growled, trying to intimidate her despite being only two inches taller at most, “are you not aware that I’m the only one who showed true interest in you? All the others just want the status, just want to be able to be in the running for running the gang when the boss retires. But I… I know how smart you are, how much you’d be a good partner. And what did you do? You went and talked to him, after I told you not to.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Marco is one of the top informants I work with,” she said with a frown before she found herself being thrown onto the floor and pinned.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She’d believed that she was safe in the apartment she shared with him. She hadn’t expected to need to defend herself. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Bitches can never be friends with men!” he roared from on top of her, “and I suppose you didn’t spread your legs for him, either.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Why would I when we’re dating?” she asked before struggling against the pin, “though I’m having some serious second thoughts about our relationship.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Of course you’d lie and hide it. I suppose I should make sure you’re telling the truth,” he said as her pants were starting to be pulled down.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She knew where the memory would go. However, the dream stopped following the memory when a blur of black and silver tackled the image of what was her first and last boyfriend, pulling him away from her. She watched as the boyfriend got pummeled by the much larger Sephiroth who radiated a rather violent and angry aura. She didn’t know what to do as the dream version of her ex got turned into a writhing lump of flesh, blood, and broken bones by the guy who was guilty of one of the sins her ex had committed many times. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She stood up and adjusted her pants as she saw Sephiroth, complete with his signature long hair, also stood up from where he’d tackled her ex and pummeled said ex until he expired with a whimper of agony. She could see blood dripping from his back leather gloves as she heard Seph take in a shaky breath. Slowly, she drew nearer to him as he clearly sounded like he was catching his breath before moving his hair out of the way so she could place a hand on his back between his gleaming silver pauldrons.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“...He tried to keep you secluded,” he said quietly, “...tried to keep you alone.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He’d have tried to keep me from my family if he wasn’t trying to position himself as the next in line,” she said quietly, “he lied to me a lot. Particularly that he saw me as more than my status when all he wanted was my status. He controlled my life as much as he could, using threats and intimidation tactics and… he tried to get me pregnant to force us into marriage. I had to hide my birth control at the family manor since I spent most of the afternoon and evenings there. He couldn’t stop me from attending family dinner, but he attended them to try to get into the boss’s good graces.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“...what happened to him?” he asked, still quiet.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He beat me to the point that I nearly died,” she said quietly, “I had enough freedom of movement to call emergency services and the phone picked up the fight. When he went to take a shower, I dragged my sorry carcass with my phone out of the apartment and halfway down the block before any help decided to show up. The boss demanded answers from me as to how his youngest and one of the most efficient of his enforcers managed to be in a sorry state. He then told me that my ex would never cause me any issues ever again and arranged for me to stay at the family manor until I was fully recovered. I never was told what happened to him but I’m fairly certain that the boss and my mentor both tortured the guy before disposing of him.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I saw the pin he was using on you,” he said quietly, “the same one I’d used on you during our sparring that first time. If I’d known, I’d have used a different pin.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You don’t have to let it bother you about the pin. I knew I was safe and knew that if I tapped out like I did, it would be over,” she said with a slight smile, “which was exactly what happened.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They stood there in silence as the apartment changed into her hole in the wall studio she’d lived in up until she was pulled from Earth. She sat on the corner of the bed, looking at his back.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“This… isn’t going to be easy for me to say,” he said, sounding uncertain and awkward, “I understand why you’re upset at me. But I would… I would never harm you like that. I was… I was… scared that you’d… I suppose the proper term is... replace… me.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She let out a sigh as she rubbed at her face as he turned to face her, blood covering some of his chest and leather clothing. He almost looked like he’d waded into battle.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Seph,” she said, staring at him, “you are an idiot of the highest order. Why would I ever replace you, let alone <strong>how</strong> could I ever replace you? Shove your emotions aside and use that brain of yours that’s sharper than Masamune for a moment. How and why would I replace you when we’re connected… chained… together thanks to our mental connection? No matter what, we would always be together in some way, at least as friends. Nothing could ever change that except for your actions. There’s absolutely no reason for you to ever need to exert control just to keep me around in your life. Although, it’s not like I have much of a choice in the matter, but if I did, I’d choose to be around you anyways.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I suppose I should apologize,” he said quietly, “I… I didn’t know it would set you off like this. Nor was it my intention. I understand that what I did was wrong and I’ll endeavor to keep myself from making the same mistake again. I… I’m sorry.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She looked at him, seeing the blood fade from him as his hair became shorter, making him appear to her as he now appeared before she moved to give him a hug.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I forgive you, Seph,” she said as she felt his arms wrap around her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They stood there for a long moment, enjoying the easy silence before he broke it, asking, “do you want to… would you…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Are you trying to ask me to wake up and climb in bed with you?” she asked with a smile, having figured out that was what he was trying to ask since the thoughts and image came over the connection.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She heard him hum in assent before she woke herself up. She blearily looked at the clock and muttered about waking up after maybe an hour’s sleep before dazedly ambling to snuggle up with Seph for the night.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Everything seemed to settle down and went into a slightly new routine. A routine where the only real change was that she was hardly ever sleeping in her own bed. Where she and Seph would relax in bed together before falling asleep. And yet, things still weighed on her and confused her to the point that she felt that she needed to go somewhere to think and sort through her thoughts and emotions. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Mind if I went out by myself for a bit? I… I kinda want some space to myself, if that’s okay,” she said before saying, “I’ll stay in touch if that helps.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“As long as you stay in touch, I don’t see a problem,” Seph said with a nod.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Try to be back in time for dinner,” Angeal called out.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And that led her back to the church in Sector 5 slums. She cleared out some pesky monsters on her way simply by throwing some daggers at them before they could close into melee. She wasn’t exactly in uniform, wearing her newly obtained and modified trench coat without her pauldrons or stomach guard. She knew it was asking for trouble not wearing much in the way of armor, but she found it still odd to be stalking through the slums without any armor.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Unsurprisingly, Aerith was inside the church, humming along to a song she couldn’t recognize until she’d stepped on a creaky floorboard.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I was wondering how long before you came for another visit,” she said with an amused chuckle.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I was sent to Wutai as soon as I passed the exams,” Ami stated with a sigh, “and things have been insane.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I saw the press release,” Aerith said before smiling, “you never mentioned that you have a celebrity for a mentor.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I had my reasons,” she said with a frown, “I didn’t want his status to pose an issue. Still don’t, actually.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I can understand. You could say that I’m fairly popular too,” Aerith said with a chuckle.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Mostly with Turks and Hojo,” she commented, making a face when she mentioned Hojo’s name.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So I’m in these stories from your world then,” Aerith stated with a smile, getting a nod from Ami. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And apparently, the stories from my world were also a potential chain of events of this world as you said the last time we had a chat,” Ami said with a frown, “and some from that chain of events have wound up in this chain of events and are trying to cause certain things to happen.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Considering that time is… weird within the Lifestream, I’m not surprised,” the teenaged girl said with a slight frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It also means that it might come for you before you could stop it,” Ami said with a frown. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Referring to me as an ‘it’? That’s rather rude, you know,” a baritone voice purred from behind her, “I was going to leave her be for a while yet, but you just had to warn her.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span><em>‘We’ve got an incursion. Sector 5 slums, at the church,’</em> she mentally sent, including directions and information as she texted a single word to Seph, simply so that Seph could use it as a cover before she stowed her PHS away and pulled out her guns.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, well, ya know me. Gotta ruin your plans as much as possible and as early as possible,” she commented, putting herself between Aerith and what she believed to be Jenova’s puppet.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Understood. I’m enroute with Genesis. Angeal will be some minutes behind us.'</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes, I’ve noticed,” he said with his smug grin as he slowly approached, “but I’ve had to adapt my plans to accommodate you. And the fact that the other me is now aware of my presence.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She didn’t wish to allow it to draw any closer to Aerith so she opened fire, aiming at his head. The puppet fell over, its appearance changing to that of a man in tattered black robes as the body landed on the ground before being claimed by dark tendrils and glow. Jenova’s altered version of the Lifestream.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You think that will stop me?” the same slithery baritone asked with great amusement as he strode in with others just like him behind him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“If one bullet can stop one of your puppets, I’d imagine I can take care of a lot more of them in short order,” she commented, starting to shoot with her pistols, hitting each puppet once through their heads as they started to stride through the door in an unending line as she heard movement upstairs.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span><em>‘This is like one of those zombie movies… oh god. Night of the Living Sephiroth,’</em> she thought to herself, hoping it was deep enough that Seph wouldn’t overhear the thought.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span><em>‘ETA? We’ve got a bit of a problem here,’</em> she sent as she unloaded bullets after bullets.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Aerith, if you’ve got some way to back me up, that would be fantastic!” she shouted.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Moments later, blasts of magic energy flew past her head and started hitting the puppets, requiring about ten hits of the magic before they fell. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘A matter of minutes. What’s your status?’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Down to my last bullets and I’ve been using them as efficiently as possible. The puppets are weak to headshots.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Good to know.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was supposed to be a quiet evening, like most evenings were when assigned to monitor the last surviving Cetra, who was a huge target for the Science Department. It became less quiet when Reno and Rude found themselves accosted by three men who looked like they could be Sephiroth’s brothers, drawing their attention from the church.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sephiroth clung to hope that he’d get to the slums in time to save Ami as his motorcycle roared down the tunnel, weaving around other vehicles. He’d be abusing his haste materia if he wasn’t weaving around rush hour traffic and if he didn’t know that he was likely going to need to conserve his materia use for the coming fight. He knew that Genesis was likely on his tail, considering that he enjoyed weaving around traffic even when not in a hurry. If it weren’t for the fact that Ami was in danger, he’d be following the traffic laws.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And of course, things would also get worse and more annoying as he saw a Third going towards the plate on an overly large, bright red motorcycle and no helmet. He was going to have to locate that Third in the morning and give him a lecture on motorcycle safety. To his dismay, the Third clearly decided that he was more interesting than whatever he was heading to the plate for. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Let’s see whose ride’s faster!” the Third announced as he finally caught up as Seph had been stuck in a bottleneck behind an overly large truck.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You need to get back to your bunk,” he shouted over the sound of their motorcycles.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“But this is the chance of a lifetime!” the Third shouted in a large grin.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Oh sweet Gaia. Another one of them. This was going to require far more finesse than he was capable of. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ll play with you later! I’m on official First Class business and what’s ahead is beyond your capabilities. So go back to your bunk and report to my office at eight hundred.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So I’ll just race you until the end of the tunnel!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No! You are to go directly to the barracks. That’s an order from your superior officer!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He saw the teenager’s crestfallen frown before peeling off. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You certainly have a way with kids, Sephy,” Genesis commented, catching up with him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You said that Ami’s in danger, right?” Zack asked as he clung onto Angeal on the motorcycle.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s right,” Angeal responded.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And how fast are we going?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m going at exactly the speed limit.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And Ami’s in danger!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m aware. Laws exist for a reason, puppy. We may be SOLDIERs, but we are still beholden to the laws. Especially traffic laws during rush hour traffic.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It appears that you’re out of bullets,” one of the puppets purred as a puppet fell from the ceiling, becoming a man in tattered robes before being claimed by the dark Lifestream.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She returned her guns to their holster and pulled out her dual blades and frowned. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Do you have curative materia on you?” she asked Aerith.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah. I’ll back you up!” Aerith responded, having pulled out a gardening rake and was using it as a staff. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Just watch out for attacks from above!” she shouted as she closed into melee with the closest puppet.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She noticed that she was able to keep up against one of the puppets, fighting one to a stalemate, but more were leaping over the broken pews. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I can see despair in your eyes,” the puppet purred with a smug grin.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Less ‘despair’ and more ‘concern’,” she commented with a smirk, “I’ve got too much hope to fall to despair.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The problem with being in melee with one Sephiroth puppet while many more were gathered was becoming obvious as she was started to be hit by dark magical attacks which sent her reeling before she felt herself getting hit by curative materia. She groaned as she saw that she was being backed into a corner. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span><em>‘I don’t know how long I can keep fighting like this,’</em> she sent as she glared her assailants down.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She couldn’t hide her grin when she swore an inferno appeared in the wide entrance of the church, followed by a fiery summon she recognized as Ifrit as the crowd of puppets surging into the church turned and attacked. She could guess just who was responsible for the firestorm. She grew concerned as she heard footsteps on the roof before someone fell through and landed next to Ami. She pointed one of her blades at the form until she recognized the SOLDIER Second Class uniform and spiky black hair.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Good of you to drop by, Zack,” she commented as the teenager got to his feet.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What could I say? I was in the neighborhood,” Zack commented with a grin before looking over at Aerith and kept the grin on his face, “hiya, miss?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Aerith,” the girl responded almost shyly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What a pretty name for a pretty girl,” Zack commented as Ami dodged a dark magical attack.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Zack! Focus!” she heard Angeal call from the roof, “Less flirting and more fighting!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ami noticed that the tide of the assailing puppets had stopped and the entry area was cleared as Genesis strode in like he owned the place, flinging fireballs as Ifrit took out more of the puppets. The ones closest to her, Zack, and Aerith charged in at them in clear desperation.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I think it’s you who is despairing,” she commented at the puppet as she started attacking it again.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hardly. I’m above such things,” he said with his smug grin, “after all, I’m a god and you are just a pitiful mortal.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And this pitiful mortal’s gonna completely screw over your attempt at godhood,” she said with a grin as she managed to wound the puppet.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She knew the tide of battle fully turned to their favor when she looked over and seeing Seph cutting through the puppets with ease, dodging their swings before swinging his own Masamune through multiples at a time. He appeared utterly calm as he did so, unlike the puppets. The puppets were all smirking and obviously egging him on while he acted like he was doing something as simple as taking out the trash. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She bit back a cry of pain as one of the puppets managed to dig its sword into her right shoulder, causing her to drop one of her blades.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ami!” Zack shouted, “get behind me!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She nodded and moved back to position herself between Zack and Aerith as Aerith started using her healing abilities on her shoulder. She saw Zack roll his shoulders and pop his neck before she swore he performed his own version of Octaslash. She watched as Seph exuded the bleakest, darkest, most murderous aura she’d ever seen as he mowed through the rest of the enemies. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You have no idea what I’m planning, little girl,” the last puppet announced before it became a man in a tattered cloak and was claimed by the dark Lifestream.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Everything’s clear,” Angeal called out before leaping from the ceiling.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ami stumbled over to one of the pews and collapsed on it with a heavy sigh. It was over. At least for now. She closed her eyes and took some steadying breaths, unaware that Seph had sat down next to her until she felt an arm wrap around her in a clearly reassuring gesture.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Is everyone okay?” Angeal asked, looking at the group of SOLDIERs and a Cetra.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I just got a shoulder injury. Pretty sure it’s healed or healing,” Ami stated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s healed,” Aerith said cheerily, “I made sure of it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thanks again, Aerith,” Ami said with a smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It was the least I could do for the one who was trying to protect me,” Aerith said with a cheery smile, “and the one that the Planet trusts to save it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“How would you know that?” Zack asked, “unless…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Has Ami told you anything about any stories she knows?” Genesis asked, looking at the teenaged girl.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Just relating to Genesis, Angeal, and Sephiroth,” Aerith said with a slight frown before moving toward Sephiroth, “the story she told me about you was horribly sad. I hope that once you know it, you’ll forge a new story.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s my intention, especially considering what just happened,” Seph said with a frown, looking away, “tonight has been… difficult and trying. I… I didn’t like what I saw in those eyes. Or what the other me is capable of doing.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He’s not you,” Angeal stated in a low tone.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Exactly. He’s got this completely different vibe to him,” Zack agreed, “it’s all… slithery but you’re different.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It makes me think of a snake but you… I can’t help but to think of a cat,” Ami said with a smile, moving to lean against Seph to try to give him some form of comfort.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Why a cat, precisely?” he asked with some amusement.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Cats tend to either suddenly decide to trust a person or it takes work to earn the cat’s trust, but when it’s there… cats become exceedingly loyal and cuddly but usually on their own terms. And they’re far warmer than most people think.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She looked over and saw Angeal smile, clearly enjoying her comparison before she added, “and also, your eyes do that thing that cats’ eyes do when they’re excited or enjoy something. Your eyes when you have chocolate are like seeing a cat react to a toy. It’s cute.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I… I have no idea how to react to that,” he admitted with a slight frown as she could see that he was actually starting to blush, which wasn’t exactly hard to tell considering how pasty his skin was.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Maybe thank me for making you feel better? Assuming that I did, in fact, make you feel better.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thank you for making me feel better,” he said with some warmth in his words before clearing his throat and clearly putting on his Silver General mask, “does anyone know why the attack happened?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It was… my fault,” Ami sad, pulling away from Seph, “I initially came for advice but I mentioned that he was right about the stories from my world being the chain of events had it not been for me… and that that… thing… was active and...I mentioned that it might come for her. It said that it was going to leave her alone until it was necessary for her to die but I caused the attack to happen by warning her.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You mentioned how he took advantage of Cloud’s unstable mind. It’s likely he’s trying to make your mind become unstable too,” Seph said with a frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Think this attack was just to mess with us?” Zack asked with a frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I think it was a serious attack and he’s now aware of how much he’s been underestimating us and our willingness to rush to each other’s aid,” Seph said with a frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“My question is how has he managed to get so many puppets? In the stories, they were the survivors of that town, but that hasn’t happened yet and hopefully won’t,” Ami said with a frown, “Is it possible that they were once prisoners of war? At least the ones the Company managed to capture alive?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We have enough trouble to begin with. We don’t need to borrow more,” Angeal said with a sigh.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“This just underscores how important Friday’s mission is, if anything else,” Genesis said with a frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Would I be incorrect, Miss Aerith, if I were to believe that you are a Cetra?” Sephiroth asked, looking over at the teenaged girl.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“The last, actually,” Aerith said with a sad smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t think this place is safe for you any more, miss,” Angeal said with a frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey! I don’t recall either of us givin’ any of ya permission to approach our charge,” Reno shouted from the door.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We wouldn’t have needed to if she and my mentee weren’t under attack,” Seph said calmly, “Ami alerted us of the attack and we moved to defend.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Defend from who?” Rude asked with a frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Secret SOLDIER information,” Ami stated, “strictly on a need to know basis.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“By the way, General, do you happen to have any siblings? Particularly three brothers?” Reno asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, that explains why they were busy,” Ami muttered.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No. Those three are… something else,” Seph said with a frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sounds like we need to know,” Reno said with a frown, “as well as needing all ya’ll to talk to the boss concerning our charge.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We have no desire to harm her,” Seph stated, “if anything, we too have a vested interest in her protection.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Still, we would like you to talk to our boss,” Rude said politely.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : : .</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Author’s Note: 3/1/21</p><p>Song list:<br/>FFVII Crisis Core Soundtrack: A Flower Blooming in the Slums<br/>Creepiest Video Game Music #11: Those Chosen By the Planet - (Final Fantasy VII Remake)<br/>This is Not One-Winged Angel Rebirth [youtube channel: puremanny]<br/>Crisis Core - A Beating Black Wing [HQ]<br/>Crisis Core - The World's Enemy [HQ]</p><p>Halfway through this chapter, the plot decided to throw me a curve ball.</p><p>In fact, the plot and characters changed my original ideas for this chapter twice. </p><p>Not featured in the chapter (mostly because I couldn’t fit in a perspective change) is all the times Genesis nearly set the church on fire as well as the actual damage done to the church courtesy of Genesis.</p><p>I’ve been wondering how Zack and Aerith would meet and I was like “Angeal and Zack would be defending the roof so why not have Zack fall in?” And of course, Angeal’s trying to get his puppy to focus on the fight and not on the flirting. </p><p>What’s going to be fun is that next chapter, Veld and the Turks are going to wonder if this group of SOLDIERs have gone insane. Or if it was a prank. Or if he’s the one going insane. All because he’s going to have everyone interrogated. </p><p>Random BtV Trivia Time: This is now the chapter with the most death and murder in it. Mostly just of Sephiroth clones/puppets, so I don’t know if they count.</p><p>Laters!<br/>~Gregora</p><p>Next Time on BtV: Turk interrogation.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0043"><h2>43. Interrogations and Conspiracy</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Veld interrogates Sephiroth and Ami and learns two things: that he may just have been screwed out of a capable Turk and just what the five SOLDIERs are dealing with. A Conspiracy takes root.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Disclaimer: I don’t own squat except for Ami. I’m just playing in Square-Enix’s sandbox, yo. Also, I need feedback and lots of since I know I’m not perfect and if things don’t mesh or match up, I’d like to know how to fix it. Anyways, on with the story!</p><p>Trigger Warning:</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Chapter Forty</p><p> </p><p>Veld was thankful for the fact that he tended to work late as he stood behind the one-way mirror. Sephiroth’s mentee sat alone in the room, balancing in her chair so that the only legs touching the floor were the back two while her heels were resting on the table in front of her. At some point, she pulled out a device and earbuds and was listening to music with her eyes closed, her feet moving in a clear rhythm, likely the beat to whatever she was listening to. He could tell that her face was relaxed, which produced an expression where her mouth faintly frowned and her eyebrows rested low. He’d seen similar things before, telling him that any real silence from them wouldn’t break her.</p><p> </p><p>What told him even more about this newer Third was when she removed her earbuds and looked over at the one-way mirror and gave a small smile over at it.</p><p> </p><p>“Mind giving me something to drink? I just got done with a fight to the death and I’m a bit parched. Thanks,” she said before going back to listening to her music.</p><p> </p><p>She was well aware of far too much considering she was from another world. </p><p> </p><p>“Mind getting her some water like she requested?” Veld asked with a sigh.</p><p> </p><p>He moved to the next observation area, seeing Cissnei interviewing Zack. The SOLDIER Second Class looked bored and anxious. </p><p> </p><p>“All we need to know is the details of what happened,” Cissnei said with a frown.</p><p> </p><p>“And I have no problems telling you but you wouldn’t believe it. I barely even believe it and I’m in the thick of things,” Zack said with a heavy sigh, “it’s like I’m living one of those really super-complicated horror flicks.”</p><p> </p><p>“Then simplify,” Cissnei said gently.</p><p> </p><p>“I wish I could,” Zack almost whimpered.</p><p> </p><p>He moved on, reaching the observation area where Genesis was practically putting on a performance as he spoke, gesturing wildly while putting on quite the performance. He didn’t stay longer than was necessary to know that Genesis was giving a complete play-by-play of whatever the pyromaniac was involved in this time. Meaning, any relevant facts will take more time for him to get out of the First than he currently had the patience for.</p><p> </p><p>The next area looked into the room where Angeal was revealing himself to be the most well behaved of his cohorts so far, outside of Ami. However, well behaved mostly meant that he was sitting politely at the table and was calmly answering questions.</p><p> </p><p>“You mentioned that you saw the abandoned church crawling with hostiles, but you have yet to go into detail. Why is this?” Tseng asked, looking as calm as ever.</p><p> </p><p>“It could lead to unfortunate implications for one of my friends and this friend has enough to deal with already. Besides, it’s incredibly complicated and no one would believe me if I explained it all to the best of my ability,” Angeal said with a frown, “and it’s a situation we’ve deemed to be a problem for SOLDIER to deal with.”</p><p> </p><p>The last room was of course, the one where Sephiroth sat, crossing his arms in front of him and looking calm. He knew that he was having trouble seeing Sephiroth as a dangerous SOLDIER but as a lost kid who was very likely his partner’s son. He’d seen the resemblance once he’d pulled up Vincent’s picture and had to mentally compare the two. Same nose, same facial structure. There was a stronger resemblance there than any tenuous comparison to Shinra’s Science Department head. </p><p> </p><p>And it bothered him that the kid never known Vincent, who he personally tried not to think about since Hojo declared him dead. It didn’t work out too well. If not for Hojo being a near insane control freak over the kid, he’d invite the kid to a hole in the wall and reminisce about Vincent to the kid, just to give him some form of connection to his quite possible father. If he could put himself in the kid’s shoes, he knew he’d rather believe in the possible relation to Vincent than the nearly clear relation to Hojo. </p><p> </p><p>That night after he’d discovered the quite possible link between Shinra’s Silver General and SOLDIER Poster Boy and his deceased partner, he’d crawled back to his apartment within the tower and poured himself a stiff drink. He made a silent promise to whatever was left of Vincent in the Lifestream that he’d watch over the kid the best he could. The kid could definitely use it. Even if he’d been wrong, he knew that Vincent probably wouldn’t mind considering he’d heard plenty about Lucrecia who was certainly the kid’s mother. </p><p> </p><p>“How old’s the eldest out of this group?” Veld asked Rod, who was stationed to observe Sephiroth.</p><p> </p><p>“Twenty-two and that’s the Third,” Rod said, completely relaxed.</p><p> </p><p>Kids. They were all freaking kids. They should be out relaxing and having fun, not playing at war for the sake of the adults. They should be out making bad life decisions and learning from them, laughing and being, well, kids. Instead, each and every one of them were trained to fight and kill. Each and every one of them a living weapon. Gods, he was going to need a heavier drink than usual tonight. At least he tried to allow his younger Turks the chance at being kids. He knew that he was the exception to that rule.</p><p> </p><p>He stepped into Sephiroth’s room, seeing the kid give him a polite nod in acknowledgement before saying, “Director Verdot.”</p><p> </p><p>“SOLDIER First Class Sephiroth,” Veld said with a polite nod before sitting down, “I hear your group had quite an evening.”</p><p> </p><p>“You could say that,” Sephiroth said with the barest of smirks and a slight nod in agreement, his tone a touch of mild amusement.</p><p> </p><p>“Mind explaining what occurred in the abandoned church in the Sector five slums?” Veld asked.</p><p> </p><p>“Perhaps I do,” Sephiroth said, revealing a bit more amusement.</p><p> </p><p>“I know what you’re trying to pull. Reno already subjected me to that ages ago,” Veld said with a sigh, “and I know you’re smart enough to know what I’m after.”</p><p> </p><p>He saw Sephiroth’s amusement vanish to be replaced by icy neutrality and focus. </p><p> </p><p>“There was a fight between us and innumerable enemies who wished to kill your charge and my mentee was understandably protecting the civilian,” Sephiroth said, behaving like a trained soldier or a robot, a thought he didn’t appreciate, “Angeal, Genesis, Zack, and I came to their rescue when my mentee sent me a text message. We dealt with the threat with only minor injuries sustained, mostly by Ami and Zack. There’s nothing else to say on the matter.”</p><p> </p><p>“What are these enemies you mentioned?” Veld asked with a frown, “Rude and Reno mentioned that they were accosted by three men they described as having silver hair and green eyes that had a vertical slit in them. Without saying as much, they implied that they appeared to have some connection to you in some way.”</p><p> </p><p>He saw the barest of tells in Sephiroth. A very miniscule flinch around the eyes. He knew something and wasn’t being forthcoming.</p><p> </p><p>“I personally don’t have a direct connection to them and some of my friends have had altercations with them,” the kid said with the barest of frowns, “I’d be willing to share more but under three conditions. No recordings, no witnesses other than you, and everyone is together. I believe you’ll understand the conditions once you know as much as I do.”</p><p> </p><p>“I’ll consider your conditions,” Veld said, standing up, “we’ll talk again shortly.”</p><p> </p><p>He saw the kid give him a polite nod before he turned away and left the room. If he hadn’t made the possible connection between the kid and Vincent, he wouldn’t have noticed how the kid managed to have a few of the same small quirks. The same quiet demeanor and small signs of emotion. </p><p> </p><p>He walked into the room where the eldest of the SOLDIERs who also happened to be the rookie, lounged in her chair, completely lost in her musical experience. There was a pitcher of ice and water on the table along with an empty paper cup. She appeared to have drank a quarter of the water inside, judging by the condensation. He tapped her feet, as much to get her attention as it was to tell her to get her feet off the table. He was far too familiar with such a relaxed pose, thanks to Rod and Reno. </p><p> </p><p>She opened her eyes and looked at him with a slight air of confusion as she tapped on the device and removed her earbuds. She looked at him as if she were expecting someone else, with her drawn lips and slanted eyebrows and tilted head. It was interesting going from the kid who just seemed to not emote well to someone who was clearly trying to sell her expressions.</p><p> </p><p>“SOLDIER Third Class Ami Anderson,” Veld said, giving her a polite nod in greeting, “I’m Director Veld Verdot of the Turks.”</p><p> </p><p>“Ah,” Ami said with a slight smile, “I see.”</p><p> </p><p>Her reaction set off some alarms, like she knew more than he knew she knew. She clearly filed this information away as she moved her feet off the table, putting on a faint smile that never reached further than her lips. A fake smile. Her gaze seemed to avoid his eyes and much of his face once she obviously studied him, which made him feel like she’d looked into his very soul, however much still existed of it. There was something about her which unsettled him and he didn’t like being unsettled by a kid that much. </p><p> </p><p>It wasn’t a type of unsettling that made her seem threatening or dangerous, but considering what he’d seen in her file when he was trying to convince Heidegger to send her to the Turks, he knew she was plenty dangerous. She’d charged at Sephiroth without a trace of fear or intimidation and had managed to figure out enough of his attack patterns to keep up with the kid. No, it was the kind of unease that came from being… without a better word, weird. </p><p> </p><p>It was almost the same kind of weird that Aerith was. Except that Aerith’s gaze wasn’t as piercing or… complete. Almost empty of emotion.</p><p> </p><p>“I figured how long you were going to give me the whole silent treatment,” she drawled, sounding far more relaxed and casual that would have matched her body language if he didn’t notice the slight undercurrent of tension, “this ain’t the first interrogation I’ve been through on either side. Question becomes the order of operations. I get that step one’s the whole silent treatment, making me stew in silence. Step two is polite questions, likely asking the same questions several times with slight rewording to make me say things differently and divulge more info or details. Then what? I doubt the Company would allow things like torture and I doubt you’ll have the time to condition me, nor would a lot of people be appreciative of such things. Murdering me is likely completely off the table.”</p><p> </p><p>“You seem quite familiar with such things,” Veld said, feeling more uncomfortable by the moment while also increasingly convinced that he’d missed out on a very capable Turk, “and I’m well aware that you’re taking control of the situation, which I have to applaud you for. It appears that I indeed lost out on quite a promising Turk to Lazard.”</p><p> </p><p>“With what I know, you never had a chance,” she said with a frown and a heavy sigh, “but I’m not at liberty to divulge that information. Nor does it have anything to do with tonight’s incident.”</p><p> </p><p>“Why were you around my department’s charge?” Veld asked with a frown.</p><p> </p><p>“She gives the best advice,” Ami relaxedly said with a lazy shrug, “and I needed her clarity involving a topic of a personal nature.”</p><p> </p><p>“And then the two of you were attacked,” Veld stated, “by who or what?”</p><p> </p><p>“Shadows of a future I’m trying to prevent,” she stated quietly, giving him no tells which said she was anything but honest, if not completely mysterious, reminding him of how cryptic Aerith sometimes was.</p><p> </p><p>He frowned at her answer. It was difficult to believe that she’d know anything at all about Gaia since she was from a completely different world, let alone the future. This girl must be insane, it was easier to believe than the possibility that she was telling the truth. After all, if she was telling the truth, it would mean that her world had stories of Gaia and that time travel was possible outside of fiction. </p><p> </p><p>“Your answer implies both time travel and that your previous world has some form of stories of this one,” he said with a frown.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, my apologies,” she said lazilly, her tone bitingly sarcastic as her demeanor changed from relaxed to completely serious and focused, “I should have spoken far more plainly if it was just implication. There are beings that have traveled back in time through the Lifestream and are trying to prevent the future I’m trying to create where fewer people die, including the people I consider my friends. We’re trying to do damage control without pulling more potential casualties into this mess we’ve found ourselves in because we happen to be the targets. And I fear that the more you know, the more likely you are to become a target yourself.”</p><p> </p><p>“You believe that,” Veld said with a frown, getting a nod from the girl.</p><p> </p><p>“And I will warn you that anyone who gets in my way from my goal and personal mission will be removed from my path,” she stated, her words empty of emotion as if she were just reciting a fact, “and I don’t enjoy committing homicide.”</p><p> </p><p>He was aware that she wasn’t threatening, but warning him to keep his Turks out of her way. Although, if she was honest in her desire to save lives, he couldn’t see a reason to interfere. He could easily falsify reports, as his department has been doing in regards to Aerith. What’s one more set of falsified reports at that point?</p><p> </p><p>“If I knew more, I’d have no problem in offering my assistance if I deem your personal mission as worthy of it,” Veld said with a frown.</p><p> </p><p>“I suppose you and your department would have an interest,” she said before glancing up at the camera on the wall, “but I wouldn’t want too many details on the record, of course.”</p><p> </p><p>“Sephiroth stated that he’d be interested in sharing what he knows behind closed doors with me and the rest of his group all together,” Veld stated.</p><p> </p><p>“And I’d be willing to recount everything I know about the original chain of events in a similar case but without my friends present. They’ve already heard it once, twice in the case of Sephiroth, and it was… difficult for them. I don’t wish to make them any more uncomfortable and distressed than they already are,” she said, still calm and almost devoid of emotions, her expression completely neutral, which made her seem that much more unusual and definitely creepy.</p><p> </p><p>It made him wonder what had happened to her to make her this way. All he could assume was that there was a lot of trauma involved. </p><p> </p><p>“I can ensure that this room is no longer being monitored. Would that be acceptable to you?” he asked with his best, kind smile.</p><p> </p><p>“I believe it’s the best deal I could hope for,” she said with a very faint, very fake smile.</p><p> </p><p>. : .</p><p> </p><p>It felt like hours to Veld once the girl finished her explanation. She went through as many details as she knew, having to stop at multiple points when he asked for details or clarification. All it left him was a sense of dread and the knowledge that there was simply not enough coffee and booze on the face of Gaia to deal with all the information he now knew. The information that, in another time, Sephiroth had lost his mind and his soul and became the greatest threat to the Planet, second only to Jenova. </p><p> </p><p>And this insane, soulless Sephiroth traveled back in time to… do what exactly other than succeed where he failed? And it was this version of Sephiroth which had attacked the church, only to be fought off by the strongest three SOLDIER Firsts and their mentees. And the fact that the girl could mentally keep the two Sephiroths separated in her mind was respectable as much as her lack of fear of the evil Sephiroth.</p><p> </p><p>Just the idea of the kid losing his grip on his sanity and humanity was terrifying. And he understood why the kid had turned to him. The kid was trying to find information on his parents, on his humanity itself. He couldn’t help but to feel sorry for Sephiroth, for having lived his life this long knowing that he was merely Shinra company property and trained to do just one thing to the exclusion of everything else. To the exclusion of everything that would make anyone human. All because of Hojo.</p><p> </p><p>He still didn’t know how to process the information she’d given him about Vincent, that he was hiding in the mansion in Nibelheim where he’d been killed, brought back to life, experimented on, and tortured. Half thanks to the woman he knew Vincent had feelings for and half thanks to Hojo himself. </p><p> </p><p>“I will say one thing on this matter,” Veld said with a deep frown, “I f--king hate Hojo. I agree with your understanding that one day, you’ll be forced to leave Midgar. When that day comes, I or Tseng will protect you from that bastard. The Turks will keep you as safe as possible, just as we do Aerith. I find what Hojo is doing to you and Sephiroth as sick and disturbing and I want to see him fail horribly in his endeavors. Just inform us when you leave and we will make sure that no one will find you unless you want them to.”</p><p> </p><p>“I’ll need as many allies at that point as I could get,” the girl said with a small, truly grateful smile and a nod before looking away, “I just hope I could do so as painlessly as possible. I know I’ll hurt my friends by leaving. Some may see it as a betrayal.”</p><p> </p><p>“It’ll hardly be a betrayal. Not with your motives,” he said with a smile, “and not if we can work out a system.”</p><p> </p><p>. : .</p><p> </p><p>Sephiroth expected Veld to have returned ages ago and had definitely expected some sort of contact from Ami. He suspected that Ami was talking to Veld and that she was telling the Turk Director everything. Which, he realized, he didn’t exactly mind. It meant that they were likely to get assistance with the situation they’d found themselves in, even if it meant that the only ones aware were the five SOLDIERs and the Director of the Turks. It was a very acceptable and tactically sound decision as the Turk information network would become exceedingly useful. </p><p> </p><p>He was almost surprised that he was released without more questioning, being directed toward a meeting room from which he could hear the voices of his friends. Just hearing their voices eased a tension within him he hadn’t noticed, especially when he heard them laugh, Ami’s laugh twinkling at a higher pitch. They were okay, and that was important to him. He arrived, seeing them all relaxed in the meeting room, sitting around the table as Veld followed him into the room, closing the door behind him. He understood that he should sit down and did so next to Ami as he realized that the civilian from the church had joined them.</p><p> </p><p><em>‘I hope they didn’t harm you in any way,’</em> he sent at her.</p><p> </p><p><em>‘I think I might have done more damage to them than they did to me,’</em> she commented with clear amusement as he received the necessary mental context to tell him that yes, she was joking.</p><p> </p><p>Veld cleared his throat and looked at all of them and looked like he was about to speak before the door opened and Rufus Shinra, the President’s son walked in, as did Director Lazard. That was definitely interesting and unexpected, especially with how the two blonds were giving each other icy looks. Sephiroth made sure to file that important piece away for later analysis.</p><p> </p><p><em>‘What the actual f$%k? Since when does Lazard willingly go along with anything his half brother says?’</em> came over the mental connection.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> ‘Are you saying that Lazard is a Shinra?’ </em>
</p><p> </p><p><em>‘One of the President’s bastards, given a position that he’ll languish in and become vengeful towards his father and the Company. It was why he was the purse strings in the original timeline’s conspiracy with Hollander while they used Genesis for their pawn,’</em> Ami explained over the connection, the mere thought of one of his friends being used like that drawing his ire,<em> ‘and it’s not going to happen. If anything, I think we will be involved in this conspiracy and given more control over it.’</em></p><p> </p><p><em>‘Agreed. I would not allow it any other way,’</em> he agreed, <em>‘even if Rufus Shinra may wish to call the shots.’</em></p><p> </p><p>
  <em> ‘Very soon, he’ll be Vice President and in the original timeline, after the President was murdered, he became President.’ </em>
</p><p> </p><p>“Exactly why are the two of you here?” Veld asked with a heavy sigh.</p><p> </p><p>“You have my best operatives,” Lazard stated.</p><p> </p><p>“I have a vested interest in my birthright,” Rufus simply stated with a smile, “and I demand to be involved in all conspiracies within said birthright.”</p><p> </p><p><em>‘My advice is to be very careful with him. He’s a shark. However, if he is clever, he’d know that breaking deals and contracts are bad for business and his image. I’ve seen his ilk before as the boss’s adopted daughter. In fact, one could say that I could have been in a similar position if I had an interest in dealing with politics,’</em> he heard Ami in his mind say, giving him a lot of mental context which he completely agreed with.</p><p> </p><p>He started to catch himself seeing Ami in a different light. Not as his mentee nor his friend but something else entirely. A sort of partner, but far deeper than that and definitely not as a temporary position in his life. He definitely agreed that in many ways, she balanced him out and when their minds were more deeply connected, it was like she filled a gap within him where their abilities did far more than double their capabilities. And that alone made him want to keep her in his life, to keep himself from ever losing her. </p><p> </p><p>Gaia only knows what would happen if he’d ever lost her. </p><p> </p><p>The loss of her alone just might be enough for him to become that thing he’d seen earlier. </p><p> </p><p>A cold chill ran through him at that thought. </p><p> </p><p><em>‘Remember what I told you in Wutai?’</em> she asked, <em>‘I will clarify on it now. No matter what happens, if we are ever separated, our separation will always be temporary. I promise to you. Not even the Lifestream will be able to contain me. Not even Hojo could keep us separated permanently. We will always be reunited if the unfortunate occurs. On this, I vow to whatever you wish me to vow upon. You will never permanently lose me.’</em></p><p> </p><p>He had to close the connection as he felt himself overwhelmed by alien impulses and emotions and some which he’d become acquainted with over the last handful of weeks. He wanted to do more than kiss her in that moment. Far, far more as he shifted uncomfortably in the chair. Nights from here on out were promising to be a new hell for him where he was tortured regardless of whether Ami was in his bed or not.</p><p> </p><p>If only he knew how she felt towards him. He knew she definitely was receptive to cuddling at night and each night since the initial awkward night in Wutai, it seemed that she draped more and more of her body over him. He was thankful that even in sleep, she ensured not to position herself in more… compromising and uncomfortable positions. He also knew she was receptive to them kissing and… he was certain that the proper term was ‘making out’. He was going to need to ask someone who wasn’t Ami about that term. But that didn’t mean he knew how she felt towards him nor how she even saw him as.</p><p> </p><p>But that wasn’t of immediate importance. What was was the fact that he and his friends were in a meeting with Veld, Lazard, Rufus, and the civilian from the church. And the word ‘conspiracy’ had been used, to his chagrin. Yes, what they were discussing could be considered a conspiracy but it was technically not against the Company but against Hojo and those who were out to kill them, harm innocents, and, in his special case, take him over to be used as a slave or puppet either willingly or not. And he found that especially vexing and irksome, especially now that he’d seen what he’d become if Jenova was successful. The very antithesis of who he was.</p><p> </p><p>“Very well,” Veld said with a sigh, drawing Sephiroth’s attention to what was going on outside his mind, “SOLDIER Third Class Anderson explained the situation to me and I’m of the opinion that my department should take on a support role in the current situation.”</p><p> </p><p>“And what is the current situation for those of us who haven’t been given access to this information?” Rufus asked, looking rather annoyed that he hadn’t been told anything.</p><p> </p><p>“Complicated,” Ami stated with a frown, getting nods from all over the table before letting out a sigh, “the world I’m from has stories of this world, specifically of a series of events which… well, best way to put it, it went badly for the Planet. Apparently, those series of events wound up being a potential future which I’m trying to prevent. So far, I’ve been successful. However, my success has been noticed by beings within the Lifestream which is now acting to assert that some events transpire.”</p><p> </p><p>“Do we know what or who these beings are and what their intentions are?” Lazard asked.</p><p> </p><p>“An alien space virus which I’m certain has a type of sentience to it and its favorite… I dunno… puppets? Slaves? Toys? Hard to tell without opening myself to far more than I feel comfortable with. What’s troubling is that all of SOLDIER is infected by the virus, so each and every one of us can be influenced by it, but I believe the amount of influence has a correlation with the amount of infected cells each SOLDIER has. The higher the amount of infected cells, the more influence it could have over the individual with some regard to the individual’s willpower,” Ami said with a frown, speaking neutrally even if he’d picked up on some slight wavering which denoted fear, “I also have a hypothesis that the virus tends to feed or encourage certain emotions, specifically anger and hatred and possibly aggression.”</p><p> </p><p>“This hypothesis makes a lot of sense,” Angeal said with a slight frown, “many fresh Thirds tend to exhibit some emotional instability at the beginning. Many tend to return to their original baseline or somewhere near it after an adjustment period.”</p><p> </p><p>“I didn’t notice that in me,” Ami said with a frown.</p><p> </p><p>“Now that I’ve seen your moods, their emotional state the first weeks were equivalent to what you’re like one week out of every month or so,” Genesis stated, for once going for tact and diplomacy.</p><p> </p><p>“So you’re implying that fresh Thirds go through a time where they’re pretty much going through the equivalent of PMS?” Ami asked with a lot of humor.</p><p> </p><p>“Now that I’m acquainted with what PMS is, I happen to agree with that assessment, based on my experiences with fresh Thirds,” he said with some amusement himself, “and the fact that women are clearly more able to deal with such mood swings, it makes for a strong case for allowing more into SOLDIER’s ranks.”</p><p> </p><p>“Are you implying that cells from this virus are a component of the SOLDIER treatments?” Lazard asked with some horror.</p><p> </p><p>“No, I’m outright stating it,” Ami said with a frown, “all SOLDIERs are infected, just to different degrees. Only three SOLDIERs I know of received their infections through a different and far more… invasive method than the norm, which has resulted in what I believe to be a higher infected cell count than the others.”</p><p> </p><p>“Would I be wrong in believing that it would be the three of the SOLDIER program’s premier Firsts?” Rufus asked.</p><p> </p><p>“It does appear to be the case,” he said, allowing himself to frown slightly.</p><p> </p><p>“All three of us are the results of human experimentation, it seems,” Genesis said with a scowl, “all thanks to the very Company we all work for.”</p><p> </p><p>He saw Rufus’s reaction as he turned pale and looked as if he had swallowed something unsavory. It was a clear gut reaction that told him that Rufus hadn’t known. It was similar to Lazard’s reaction. </p><p> </p><p>“I figured that was the case with you, Sephiroth,” Lazard said with a deepening frown, interlocking his fingers in front of him, “after all, you’re listed as company property. However, I’ve always disagreed with that designation. Ever since we met, I’ve never seen you as anything less than human. But to know that there were others…”</p><p> </p><p>“We weren’t raised in labs and our origins were kept a secret from us,” Angeal said with a frown.</p><p> </p><p>“Angeal and I were just fortunate that I’d been adopted into a family in the same town,” Genesis said with a shrug, “but I’m starting to wonder whether that was just luck or arranged.”</p><p> </p><p>“Once I’m President, I will end all human experimentation and use of these infected cells,” Rufus announced with a scowl, “I can’t believe my father allowed such a thing.”</p><p> </p><p>“I am quite certain that there are a great many things your father has done that you might find it hard to believe. This is simply the beginning,” he said, forcing back memories he’d rather ignore.</p><p> </p><p>“So now, the question of what this virus wants. I presume to be just like a biological virus. Take over the host and move on,” Lazard stated with a frown.</p><p> </p><p>“We know what one of the virus’s goals are,” Ami said with a frown.</p><p> </p><p>“One of the virus’s goals is clearly to take this instance of me over. It has been trying these past weeks to break my will through nightmares,” he said, starting to speak before Ami could continue, “I assume it is because the virus’s version of me lacks a living body due to the fact that it is operating from the Lifestream. After all, why else would it target every single person I care about in order to isolate me? It must know that my friends are… important to me.”</p><p> </p><p>“In the stories I know, the virus sought to take over the entirety of the Lifestream, attempting to use its favored puppet to absorb the Lifestream itself. There was a definite component of vengeance somewhere in the mix,” Ami said with a frown. </p><p> </p><p>“Are we to believe that the virus’s ‘favored puppet’ as you’ve been calling it, a version of Sephiroth?” Lazard asked with a frown.</p><p> </p><p>“Barely,” he practically growled, “I’ve encountered its… simulacrum… earlier this evening. It’s only me in likeness. It lacks any trace of humanity nor of the… personality of who it once was. Its behavior is antithetical to my own and I… I refuse to become that thing’s vessel.”</p><p> </p><p>He was suddenly aware of everyone’s eyes on him in response to his very obvious and very clear emotional outburst. He could feel Ami trying to make a mental connection, which he allowed since his emotions were much different now than when he’d closed it. It took every bit of willpower to not close his eyes as he could feel her mind work to soothe his anger and pain and fear and uncertainty. He drew comfort from the connection and had he not been in front of others, he knew he’d be clinging to her as tightly as the time when he’d been overcome by his anxieties over Hojo taking her away, the incident which prompted her to introduce the concept of her being his ‘stuffy’. </p><p> </p><p>He knew that his two eldest friends were definitely concerned - such an outburst was quite unusual for him as he’d been trained by Hojo - no, <b> <em>tortured</em> </b> by Hojo - to restrain his emotions, to control them, and when all else failed, to bury and bottle his emotions. He’d realized that Hojo wanted him to be as close to emotionless as possible and was likely why Angeal and Genesis had issues with his seeming inability to emote much. He’d been trained not to. And he’d never told his friends. </p><p> </p><p>He probably should, if only so they’d understand him easier. He hadn’t yet entirely because at first, he thought it was normal, then once he’d understood that his childhood wasn’t, he didn’t want their pity. And more, he didn’t want them to be upset over his past, his history when they were his future, as far as he was concerned. He’d wanted his history to stay in the past, but it appeared that his past was far too important for that. Not with what was going on. Not if he wanted to avoid every potential pitfall. He was going to need to trust his friends far more than he ever had before, and that required them to fully understand who and what he was. </p><p> </p><p>And that meant telling them everything. Or at least, as much as he felt he could without causing them undue pain or harm. </p><p> </p><p>“So this conspiracy is to deal with the activities of this virus and its puppets,” Rufus said with a slight frown.</p><p> </p><p>“Pretty much, yeah. All under the table, all hidden from everyone,” Ami said with a frown as she looked at the people assembled, “considering that the virus’s main physical body is technically Company property as well. And if any of the Remnants wind up claiming enough of the cells from the main physical body, it will turn them into a vessel for the virus’s favored puppet and would have an array of abilities it wouldn’t have otherwise. I believe that our Sephiroth is being targeted as a vessel primarily because out of everyone currently involved, he’s the biggest threat and the tastiest target.”</p><p> </p><p>“I will ensure that you will have all the resources you could possibly need in order to safeguard our Company,” Rufus said, looking serious and grim, “I will diligently research all I can to verify this story in the meantime, to the best of my ability. None of you will be alone in this. And Sephiroth…” he looked over at Rufus with what he hoped was mild interest, “if there’s anything I can do to assist you and your friends, don’t hesitate to inform me. You and your friends are what made this Company what it is and I am in your debt.”</p><p> </p><p>“Do we know what our time table looks like?” Veld asked.</p><p> </p><p>“Not a single clue,” Ami said with a frown, “if not for the attacks on the five of us, I’d have been completely clueless of our enemy’s movements. If they’re trying to force things to play out like in the previous timeline, they’d be preparing for the main event. Creating the mission which Sephiroth had been sent on that he’d been contemplating as his last. The one where he fell in what appears to be Hojo’s trap and surrendered to Jenova.”</p><p> </p><p>“Do you even know where the main Jenova body is?” Lazard asked with a frown.</p><p> </p><p>“If things are as close to what I know, the main Jenova body would be in the Mt. Nibel Mako Reactor,” Ami said with a frown, “and I recommend flamethrowers and mastered fire materia. Any part of it that can be claimed by the Lifestream will just contaminate it more.”</p><p> </p><p>“That sounds like a party,” Genesis commented with a grin, “I bet Ifrit would be useful.”</p><p> </p><p>“You think Ifrit’s useful in every situation you can think of, Gen,” Angeal said with a long-suffering sigh.</p><p> </p><p>“That’s only because it is useful in every situation I can think of.”</p><p> </p><p>“I do have a question for you, Aerith,” Ami said with a frown, “if you don’t mind my asking it.”</p><p> </p><p>“What is it?” Aerith asked with a smile.</p><p> </p><p>“In the stories, it was left up for interpretation, but one of the interpretations is that the Promised Land of Cetran myth or belief refers to where they consider to be their paradise, specifically the point where they become one with the Planet that they loved and tended and protected while they were alive,” Ami said with a frown, “I was wondering if this interpretation is accurate.”</p><p> </p><p>“That is… actually quite accurate,” Aerith said with a smile, “there was a belief that everyone has a Promised Land and it is where one is at peace and happiest.”</p><p> </p><p>“That is quite a beautiful belief,” Angeal said with a smile.</p><p> </p><p>“I would agree if it wasn’t one that led to so much pain due to Hojo’s madness,” Sephiroth said with a frown.</p><p> </p><p>“Going back to the topic of Jenova, if the similarities hold, it shouldn’t be a threat as long as those with high infected cell counts stay away from the main body. Particularly Sephiroth. In the stories, Genesis was able to be in the area and it didn’t appear to have much of an effect, but at the time, I wouldn’t call his mental state stable by any means. I do have a request. When the mission to take care of the main body is set up, I want to go. My infected cell count should still be within normal levels compared to a Third or Second and I want to help. If I do get taken over, it should be a matter of hitting me with a Stop materia, disarming me, and throw me into a padded cell with Sephiroth and Angeal knocking Jenova out of my skull. If that fails, I should be easily rendered a non-threat.”</p><p> </p><p>“I won’t allow you to put yourself at that kind of risk,” he said with a frown.</p><p> </p><p>Why was she so focused on dealing with Jenova to begin with? And why did she not care about the risks? Talking about her own death so easily.</p><p> </p><p>“I’ll see what I can do,” Lazard stated, giving him a look.</p><p> </p><p>“In the meantime, it’s late and most of us have work in the morning,” Veld stated.</p><p> </p><p>. : .</p><p> </p><p>Ami and the three Firsts were barely through the door when Ami saw Genesis and Angeal enveloped Seph into a warm group hug. She merely smiled before giving Seph a hug from behind. She could feel a warm emotion emanate from his end of the connection as he slowly relaxed into the hug. </p><p> </p><p>“You’re not alone in this, Seph,” Angeal stated.</p><p> </p><p>“We like this you a lot more than that other one,” Genesis said lightly.</p><p> </p><p>“You already know my opinions on this matter,” Ami practically murmured as she gave him a slight squeeze.</p><p> </p><p>“I suppose I needed that after all that happened,” he said quietly.</p><p> </p><p>After a while, Angeal and Genesis let go of Seph but she hadn’t noticed since she had been resting her head against the part of his back between his shoulder blades and pauldrons as she clung to him. </p><p> </p><p>“Are you going to let go of me at some point?” she heard him ask, his voice definitely amused, rumbling under her cheek.</p><p> </p><p>“At some point,” she agreed.</p><p> </p><p>“We need to go get dressed and go to bed,” he stated.</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, we do,” she agreed, still not letting go.</p><p> </p><p>She heard a low chuckle before he said, “please let me go.”</p><p> </p><p>“Fiiine,” she sighed, drawing out the word as she did so, letting her grip on him loosen before she stepped away.</p><p> </p><p>To her amusement, that night, he’d chosen to sleep with a pillow over his groin while he was the one snuggling her for a change. She understood he was in need of a good snuggle over the events of that night and wondered what was with the pillow. She was too tired to make any connections and fell asleep in Seph’s arms.</p><p> </p><p>. : : .</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Author’s Notes: 3/3/21</p><p>The initial conspiracy is formed, muhahaha. Rufus is a few weeks of being announced as VP and I figure he’d be in the area at this time. </p><p>Poor Sephiroth is pretty traumatized by what he saw during the church siege. </p><p>I’ve never really gotten a handle on Rufus’s character but I figure he wouldn’t want to lose useful tools if he could help it. He’s also being slapped in the face with some of the Company’s/his father’s darkest projects and I don’t think he’s going to like what he found out in his research. If he can help keep Sephiroth sane, I figure he’d do so out of the understanding that it would likely be less work than the clean up.</p><p>Laters!<br/>~Gregora</p><p>Next Time on BtV: The day before heading out on a mission is unusually stressful. Ami faces more stress as she finds herself having a private conversation with a potential ally.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0044"><h2>44. Pod People, Self-Loathing, and a Semi-Private Meeting</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The day before heading out on a mission is unusually stressful. Ami faces more stress as she finds herself having a private conversation with a potential ally.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Disclaimer: I don’t own squat except for Ami. I’m just playing in Square-Enix’s sandbox, yo. Also, I need feedback and lots of since I know I’m not perfect and if things don’t mesh or match up, I’d like to know how to fix it. Anyways, on with the story!</p><p>Trigger Warning: Self-loathing, medical stuff, feelings of violation</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Chapter Forty-One</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ami caught herself jumping awake when the god awful screeching sounded moments before feeling movement at her back and sides killed it. Once the sound was vanquished, she found herself being wrapped securely in the warmth before being pulled closer. She couldn’t help but to hum at the feeling. It was decidedly nice, especially when she felt warm air brush against the side of her neck. She wanted nothing but to drift in the sensations of warmth and security. Some deep part of her knew that she was completely safe. That nothing would get at her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She slowly opened her eyes and rubbed the crusted sleep from her lashes before forcing her eyes to focus. This was definitely a new position to wake up in, usually she was draped over him but this morning, she’d woken up in a rather aggressive cuddle. It was a nice change, even if she wouldn’t admit it. He needed her to be his favorite stuffy after the kind of day they’d had and she didn’t mind getting cuddled as one.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Someone woke up on the cuddly side of the bed this morning,” she commented with a chuckle.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What do you mean?” he asked, his voice rumbling against her back, quite obviously puzzled.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ever heard the saying ‘waking up on the wrong side of the bed’?” she asked, getting a hum of assent, “it’s like that but cuddlier and far more pleasant.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You seem to be enjoying this,” he said with clear amusement.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m cuddly. I’m just selectively cuddly. It’s only people I really like and only if they give me permission and it’s mostly on my own terms. Kind of like a housecat.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“My kitten stuffy,” he murmured.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m not that harmless. Or cute,” she muttered.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ll give you the not harmless,” he admitted with a chuckle.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She would never admit that it took longer than normal for her to realize two things. One, he implied that he thought she was cute - was he blind? Two, that she’d curled up at some point in the night and he’d curled himself around her in a quite protective manner. Both were likely the cause of her face warming up. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You are aware that you just implied that you think I’m cute.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She heard and felt him sleepily chuckle before saying, “I didn’t mean to imply that I think you’re cute. I meant to tell you as such.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She jolted out of his arms and rolled over to face him, her brain slammed fully into wakefulness. He still appeared to be half awake at best, his eyes only half open at most as he looked at her with a small, rather cute smile. She had to remind herself that it wasn’t appropriate to think of anything relating to him as cute because it was far too dangerous. She pressed the back of her hand against his forehead, noticing that no, he did not have a fever. His expression changed to confused curiosity as he sleepily regarded her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What are you doing?” he asked, tilting his head a tiny bit.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Okay, you don’t seem sick. Hmm… I’m pretty sure you’re not the other Sephiroth. I hope it’s nothing to do with Jenova,” she muttered to herself.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What are you going on about?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Seph,” she said, looking into his eyes she’d always thought were really pretty, “you just flirted with me.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
    <br/>
  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh good. I was concerned that in my partially awake state I might have done so incorrectly. I’m glad to know that some of Genesis’s lessons took.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She stared at him before saying, “pod people. That’s the only explanation. Pod people.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She carefully backed out of bed, keeping herself facing him as she gave him the gesture of ‘I will be watching you’ as she backed rather awkwardly and clumsily out of his bedroom before retreating to her own.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sephiroth watched, completely puzzled and confused by Ami’s behavior. He certainly had no idea what the proper reaction to having been flirted with was in this case, but he’d managed to extrapolate that the most common reactions involved blushing. None of the common reactions he’d seen involved making sure he was still him, making sure he was healthy, and then saying ‘pod people’ before giving him a gesture that told him that she was going to watch him carefully. He was actually forming more of an opinion that she was definitely of questionable sanity.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Which honestly, didn’t mean much in SOLDIER, truth be told. Sometimes, sanity was optional in SOLDIER recruitment. A certain Second was evidence of that. As well as that Third who was to report to his office at eight hundred for a reprimand and a briefing on motorcycle safety. And a specific First who had a penchant of lighting things on fire himself or by way of Ifrit while quoting a play. And there were some times when even he felt that his own sanity was in question.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>All in all, he started to realize that he regretted being the ranking SOLDIER operative and he didn’t envy Lazard at all. He wished that Lazard wasn’t obviously training him for the spot of Director of SOLDIER. There was more than enough paperwork to bury him alive as it was.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But what bothered him was that tomorrow morning, everyone he lived with was going to go on a mission together and were slated to be gone for a week. It meant an apartment that was too quiet and a bed that would feel too cold and lonely. He paused with a frown. They’d only been sleeping together only for the last three weeks at most, disregarding the time in the lab in between. Why would he consider a bed without Ami as too cold and too lonely? Just what was going on with him?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He shook his head, willing the thoughts and concerns away from the forefront of his mind. He needed to get ready for work.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ami knew that the idea of Seph having been replaced with a Pod Person was silly, but it was both amusing and easier to believe than the very real possibility that he not only flirted with her but that he’d called her cute of all things. She’d never heard that one before and had no idea how to deal with it. It was just so outside even Seph’s version of normal. She didn’t even believe he was even capable of flirting, let alone doing so without stumbling. Realizing how her thoughts were going, she checked to make sure that he was not able to hear them. She didn’t want him to get the wrong idea, even if it was difficult with how their mental connection worked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Something’s bothering you,” she heard Angeal say quietly since they were the only ones currently in the kitchen.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s a cornfield in here,” she said with a sigh, getting a glance from Angeal before she explained, “too many ears.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You should share that with Seph. He’d be amused by it,” Angeal said with a smile before frowning, “you really look like you need to talk to someone.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Ami looked around, she could tell that multiple showers were going, even if she could mostly hear the one just down the hall thanks to Genesis really belting out songs that sounded like they were from musicals. She gave Angeal a glance. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No one’s going to be able to hear us over that,” she said with a sigh before quietly saying, “Seph flirted with me this morning. Called me cute.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She saw Angeal’s surprised expression, his eyebrows raising as he gave her a smile, saying, “you are aware that he doesn’t do things like that lightly.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Unless he’s been replaced by a Pod Person,” Ami said with a frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“A what?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Things that grab people and replace them with a duplicate,” Ami explained, preparing her coffee in her usual manner, “there’s a movie about them.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And that’s more believable than Seph flirting with you?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“By a lot.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Why?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ami blinked for a moment before saying, “first of all, the guy’s drop dead gorgeous and due to his looks and status, has his pick of just about every single person on the face of the Planet. Second of all, I’m an ugly goblin compared to him whose very visage could shatter mirrors and cause cameras to malfunction. And that’s whenever I do get gendered correctly, which, by the way, isn’t exactly all that common. I’m well aware that I make for an ugly girl but a pretty boy and it’s certainly not as fun as it sounds.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ami hadn’t noticed that the singing had stopped shortly before the shower did. She also didn’t notice Genesis creep out of the bathroom with only a towel around his hips and a stern glare on his face. And she definitely didn’t notice his overly dark aura.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You are not ugly,” Genesis growled from behind her, “anyone who told you that is wrong.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“So you’re saying that my parents, stepmother, every single person in my classes in school for the entirety of my education, and just about everyone else who’s crossed my path, are all wrong?” she asked quietly before taking a sip of her coffee.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We have never said that,” Angeal said with a frown and stern tone.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s it. As soon as I can drag you away from Seph, I’m going to make sure that you at least acknowledge that you’re not ugly,” Genesis stated, clear anger in his tone.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So what did you mean by ‘Pod People’ this morning?” Seph asked with what was almost a wry grin as the car peeled away from the parking space and towards the exit of the garage.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“They’re these monsters that steal people away and replace whoever they steal away with themselves,” she said with a smile, “still not convinced that you’re not a Pod Person.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>She saw an eyebrow quirk up before he asked, “even with our connection?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Easier to believe than the alternative,” she said, leaning back in the seat and turning to look away from him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So it’s easier to believe that I was replaced by a fake than believing that I’d find some of your behaviors cute?” he asked lightly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Than believing that anyone could be so blind as to use the word ‘cute’ in regards to anything to do with me,” she responded quietly, staring out the passenger door’s window.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m aware of the root cause of your issues. Your last… distressful dream. I heard some of the voices,” he said quietly, “I disagree with them.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t,” she said quietly, “because it’s the truth.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You are aware that I can count the number of people who see and treat me as a human in my whole life on one hand, correct?” he asked quietly, “and most of them I didn’t encounter until I joined SOLDIER. I… I even have difficulty in seeing myself as human most days. Does that mean that those five people are incorrect?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“...I hate you sometimes,” she said with a sigh, “you always seem to twist my self-loathing in ways that hurt.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I reframe your self-loathing in terms outside of you for you to acknowledge what you are doing to yourself,” he said, sounding insistent to her ears, “that way, it goes around your biases.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Still doesn’t make it any less uncomfortable and painful,” she said, refusing to acknowledge that she was pouting.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Only because it’s being applied to someone else. If it was directed at yourself, you’d simply accept it and bear that pain without realizing it,” he said, clearly noticing that she was glancing at him, “you’re not the only one who has taken up some interest in psychology. It’s an essential skill for those expected to lead.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She nodded and looked away and let out a sigh, “I hope I’m one of those five people.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Of course you are,” he stated evenly before changing the topic, “I got information from Veld concerning Crescent and Valentine. He appears to be convinced that I’m connected to Valentine and I… believe he’s correct based on the photographs.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Veld appears to have some sort of connection to him,” she said with a frown, “I know that Valentine was a Turk.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Veld and Valentine were partners,” Seph stated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No shit?” she asked, giving him a look, “if they’re anything like the crew back home or what fans like to paint them as, that means that Veld’s gonna consider you as family. Back home, if one parent’s part of the family, so’s the kids and spouse. And the crew’ll treat ‘em as such. We… They’re… of the opinion that family’s about the bonds of love and not genetics.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m only familiar with the concept of family in the theoretical,” Seph said quietly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s where I disagree,” Ami said with a smile, “I bet if you asked Angeal, Genesis, and Zack, they’d tell you that you’re a part of their family in SOLDIER. You’ve got a found family here, one that was built up around you without your notice. Pretty sure with a tiny bit more effort and focus, you could easily turn SOLDIER into one big, happy family around you. There’s already the sense of community and kinship all over the floors. I can tell that they respect you and it’s not cause you’re popular or a war hero but because they acknowledge you as their leader and trust you as such.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He gave her a nod, not taking his glance away from the road, “perhaps, it would be a good idea to have you advise me in such matters since you seem to know what is needed.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“My suggestion is that step one should be to delegate some of the workload they’re drowning you in,” Ami said with a frown, “like some of the reports could be run through Angeal and he could give you the bullet points. In the stories, when Lazard left, you took over a lot of his workload so I’d be surprised if he’s not preparing for you to eventually be in his position. In which case, you need to prepare your own second in command for his future job as well.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I doubt the Directors would allow me to take up such a position due to their clear stance towards me,” he said with a clear but tiny frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You have at least one who I’d count as a probable ally,” Ami said with a slight smile, “Scarlet isn’t an ally but she could be useful if you continue to be careful. Heidegger’s going to be an issue, no matter how you slice it. Palmer’s next to useless with his money sink. Tuesti could potentially be swayed although he doesn’t have much in the way of power.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So the Board was in the games then,” Seph said with a frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Mostly as enemies, but yes. Although Veld wasn’t in the ones I’m familiar with. In the games I’m familiar with, the Director of the Turks was Tseng.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He’s Veld’s second in command.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ami had seen the crazy motorcycle kid walk into Seph’s office a little after eight hundred and grew curious. Mostly wondered what the kid did to get on Seph’s radar. She was willing to guess that the teen had done something very dangerous and was getting a reprimand. She went back to sorting the paperwork that she’d taken to the desk, moving between the desk and a table she’d set up nearby to give her more workspace as she jammed out to her music. At least until she nearly walked into a dark suit.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She looked up and saw Tseng, whom she’d only seen once before - back when she’d arrived on Gaia. She moved to put the stacks down neatly and remove her earbuds.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes?” she asked, looking at Tseng.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Rufus sent me to collect you. He wishes to speak to you,” Tseng said without a trace of emotion but still being polite.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Of course he would,” she said with a sigh, “I’m sure he has a lot of questions for me after last night’s meeting.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tseng merely gave her a gesture to follow him, which she followed. Rufus wasn’t exactly an ally but he was not an enemy unless she made him one. She understood his position, it was something she’d been trained to be in even if she was highly unlikely to be further than a glorified secretary. Something very, very similar to what she was being as it was. She was going to want to train an actual secretary soon due to the fact that she needed to put in hours in drills. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I see you have gotten comfortable,” Tseng said politely as they walked into the elevator.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And vaguely annoyed,” she responded with a sigh, getting a raised eyebrow from the Turk, “I’m officially to remain under adult supervision after my recent… meeting with Director Scarlet.” The raised eyebrow remained, “I think the person who’s cut me more than she did was Hojo and only because Sephiroth intervened and carried me to the medical floor. I was unconscious for three hours while I got stitches and a blood transfusion. She tried to torture me.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“At the point one requires stitches and blood transfusions, ‘tried’ isn’t the operative word,” he commented in a deadpan.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Funny thing is I think I hurt her more,” she said with a smirk, “she was a jealous wreck by the time I was removed from her floor.” Another look from Tseng with a raised eyebrow before she said, “she thinks she could get Sephiroth to play her game.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That is… rather unwise of her. One does not fool with a coeurl’s paws without running the risk of encountering its claws,” he said almost sagely, as if he were repeating old wisdom he’d heard somewhere.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“As with all felines,” she agreed with a nod, “the comparison is apt.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Scarlet may be emboldened simply because his usual emotional state has been changing as of late. I’m certain that you’ve noticed as such,” Tseng stated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She kept her face relaxed as she filed that bit of emotion away, ignoring the memories of the times she and Seph kissed, the time they’d shared a shower even if they were completely focused on cleaning themselves, and more importantly, when he’d flirted with her that morning. She knew that she’d given something away by how Tseng slightly inclined his head and turned his head to face the doors of the elevator as they parted.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The room encompassed almost the entire floor, except for some rooms which were sectioned off. She assumed that it was to ensure security of the young Shinra’s sleeping area and bathroom. The rest of the floor was just one big room, revealing a living area with seating placed for conversation which involved lots of leather furniture - two high backed chairs and a sofa, a kitchen that appeared to have just as much polished metal as the labs, and sliding glass doors which led to a covered balcony. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Rufus was seated in one of the high backed leather chairs, one which was positioned so that the guests had equal access to him, regardless of where they sat. She moved to sit on the sofa since it would be far more difficult to access her weapons on the chair. Especially since she’d taken to hide her bowie knives in her uniform boots. She was still looking for nice spots to hide her daggers and pistols. He nodded at her as Tseng took a position behind Rufus and to his left. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ve done quite a lot of research since our meeting,” he said with a small smile as he sipped from the mug in his hands, looking relaxed in the chair as he propped his heels on the coffee table, “on you, on Jenova… It’s quite infuriating how little I’m allowed to know. All I know about you, Miss Anderson, is that you appeared in the system on June nineteenth, got enhanced by Hojo personally before Heidegger assigned you to Sephiroth as his mentee and managed to be the second person to ever get a perfect score in your SOLDIER entrance exams. I’ve managed to get from Tseng that you actually are from another world, which backs up your story.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She relaxed on the sofa with a small smile, “I see. I’m an unknown element and you wish to know more since I’m clearly of some use in the future.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And because we share many of the same goals. I was being honest that I don’t wish to see Sephiroth become a threat to the Company and the Planet. He’s too useful and I’m not certain anyone could stop him currently. I’ve heard rumors of Scarlet creating anti-SOLDIER ammunition, but the project’s far too early according to her.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“The anti-SOLDIER ammunition is an attempt at backwards engineer rounds based on what I had in my pistols when I got yanked from my world. It got her attention entirely because it actually did something to Sephiroth. He even has the scar from where I shot him, just as I have the scar from where he skewered me with Masamune,” she said with a frown, “and I can say that she’s got some of her own people kitted with rounds which seem to do the job on me at least, earlier this week.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“She shot you?” Rufus asked, looking concerned.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Only in the shoulders. Once per shoulder.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Was this before or after the injuries which required stitches?” Tseng asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“She told me to bear my chest to her and I told her to f%&amp;k off. Got a bullet to my left shoulder. Gave her a rude gesture as I followed her instruction and got shot in the other. Then it became a matter of her torturing me using my own knives while I psychologically tortured her right back while being a pain in the ass,” she said with a small smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Why were you even around her?” Rufus asked with a clear scowl, clearly not liking hearing that one of his future Directors had behaved in such a manner.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I was on my way back to the SOLDIER floor from the materia range and she politely dragged me to her floor as a way to entice a visit from Sephiroth. She also wanted to interrogate me to learn about the weapons we used back home. Unfortunately, I didn’t have as much knowledge to share on the matter as I do on explosives, lock picking, torture, one hundred and one ways to use a knife, and two kinds of martial arts. Also, I know useless trivia like there’s thirty three bones in the spinal column, which makes for a fun bit of intimidation,” she said lightly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Rufus blinked before looking at Tseng, “why exactly did she get sent to SOLDIER with that skillset?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Because of Hojo,” she said with a frown as she made herself look more insecure, more guarded, but not enough for it to look overdone, “for one of his experiments. I… I shouldn’t tell you. I know what he’ll do if… and I don’t want that to happen… even if it’s inevitable. I… I’m really just… I suppose just delaying it for some… I guess happier times… to remember, to draw strength from. When it all comes crashing down.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What did he do to you and what is he planning?” Rufus asked in a tone that said that her ploy was working, even if she hated theatrics and manipulation.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He… I wasn’t given the standard SOLDIER treatment,” she said, looking away, “specifically to test my otherworldly biology. And… it took. It’s been taking. Enough to the point that he… he wants me to be bred by the only specimen of his he deems worthy.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sephiroth,” Rufus said with a frown, “he wants you and Sephiroth to… produce children.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So he could f&amp;%k with them the same way he did Sephiroth, yes. And he… Hojo… he has no problems resorting to artificially… making me pregnant if Sephiroth doesn’t. And… if I force him to do so… he’s threatened to keep me in a medically induced coma and… use my body as a living incubator,” she said with a frown and shiver, some of it not even faked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What is the nature of your relationship with Sephiroth?” Tseng asked, his words a sort of polite ice. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“At most, friends. We’ve been through hell together and we’ve realized that we make a rather effective team,” she said, knowing it was best not to mention that they’d kissed twice, seen each other naked, and slept together for weeks now. “He’s been keeping me under watch because of Scarlet, so I’ve been doing clerical work almost all week.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Reno has made some comments on the matter, saying that he was being controlling toward you,” Tseng stated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He was and he understood that he went too far,” she said with a nod, “the situation’s been resolved so Reno won’t have to worry about me.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Do you feel like you’re in any danger around Sephiroth?” Rufus asked with a frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’d be lying if I said no, but the danger I feel isn’t coming from Sephiroth himself, but simply because I… I don’t want to get too close. I don’t want things to get out of control and the next thing I know, we’ve given Hojo what he wants,” she said with a frown, realizing in hindsight that she might have said too much on the topic.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She saw Tseng’s eyes narrow before saying, “you imply that there’s a risk of a deeper relationship with Sephiroth.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“At least on my side,” she said before sighing, “come on, the guy’s drop dead gorgeous and sweet. How could I resist?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She saw Rufus and Tseng exchange a series of looks that she didn’t understand the meaning of outside of disbelief. It wasn’t like she couldn’t understand why they were confused. The guy had a well-established reputation for being made of ice, black leather, and metal. He’d mentioned that he had no interest in anyone and that she was the first real interaction he had with women. And the guy had to contend with Hojo watching him close enough to spot what the madman would consider flaws or defects, things that he felt were wrong and needed to be fixed with Sephiroth. The poor guy’s terror had seeped through the connection as he was explaining it to her along with her own. The poor guy couldn’t even act human without getting Hojo’s attention. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That alone made her want Hojo removed. Last week. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“‘Sweet’ isn’t a word I’d apply to Sephiroth,” Rufus said with a frown, “no one’s seen him show an interest in anyone.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Perhaps it’s because…” she said trailing off, honestly uncertain. She knew that Rufus would be out for Hojo as it is, but knew that if Rufus felt that Hojo was undermining their goal to keep Sephiroth… well, their Sephiroth, Hojo’s days were numbered. Assuming they weren’t already. “I probably shouldn’t mention it. I’ve been studying Psychology in my spare time since we’d left from Junon to Wutai. He… now, keep in mind, I’m no expert, but… the way he acts suggests the potential of torture and conditioning. If I were to make a list of people who would have the motive and opportunity...”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Are you suggesting that Hojo would condition and torture Sephiroth?” Rufus asked, scowl deepening.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It would make sense if Hojo intended for him to be used as a living weapon. You’d want to be able to control said weapon,” Tseng stated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And he likely did so before Sephiroth entered SOLDIER,” she stated with a frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Rufus nearly slammed down his mug with a deep frown, “are you saying that Hojo might have… tortured children?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I thought it was implied last night,” she said with a frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Experimentation does not necessarily mean torture,” Rufus said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“When it comes to Hojo, yes it does. I’ve been under his knife before,” she said with a frown as she slowly lost control of her calm mask, slowly becoming more wound up and more upset, “I woke up to having a shaved head and scars all over my body that weren’t there when I lost consciousness that fits the profile of that of a scalpel. I probably have scars on my head, which I could only assume is because he likely went poking about my brain. Yes, that was likely kind, but it was done without my consent. And I don’t even know what cells he took from me but I’d be astounded if he’d left my ovaries alone. The only people who can even </span>
  <b>comprehend</b>
  <span> the lengths that Hojo would go, what he’s even capable of doing would be his victims.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She’d stood up from the sofa at some point and was actually panting from how wound up she was. She hadn’t planned on saying all that, but she couldn’t resist. She let out a sigh and sat back down.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I… apologize for my overly emotional outburst,” she said quietly as she felt a gentle mental touch.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Are you okay? Where are you?’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Tseng dragged me to a meeting with Rufus. I kind of… ranted about what Hojo did to me… I… took his violation of my body harder than I’d thought. I’m sorry for troubling you. I do have some good news though.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Please tell me that Rufus isn’t about to kill you. Or Tseng.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Me? No. But I might have given Rufus the idea that Hojo may get in the way of us keeping you… well… you. And both of them seemed stunned at the idea that Hojo may have utilized torture and conditioning on children in addition to experimentation.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Don’t give them any of my secrets.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘I’ve never said anything definite in regards to you, just implications and ideas. The only thing I’m being concrete about is my personal experiences with Hojo. I’m sure if I did share your secrets in terms of Hojo, I believe he may not leave HQ alive.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Just remember that my continued survival depends on him being alive.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Permission to share that piece of information then? That Hojo told you that?’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Granted. As much as I utterly loathe him and would love to see him suffer, I… am disinclined to die right now.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘That’s a real roundabout way of saying that you have something worth living for.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s… understandable,” Rufus said quietly and diplomatically.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘...That I do.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Mind sharing?’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘I do mind, yes.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘...were you like this before we met?’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Mostly towards Hojo. I admit that you’ve been a bit of an influence.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes, such reactions are to be expected when discussing past unresolved traumas,” Tseng stated in his icily polite tone.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I apologize for what you’ve suffered because of the Company,” Rufus said quietly, “I will do what I can to make amends.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I… I should warn you… in regards to Hojo,” she said quietly, “Sephiroth has told me many times that… he was told and believes this… that if Hojo were to die, he would no longer have access to whatever treatments Hojo uses on him to keep him alive and would eventually perish. I know Hojo well enough that he could have honestly made him indispensable to ensure control over Sephiroth or that he could be lying. Either possibility is equally likely.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And we require Sephiroth to be in fighting shape because of his… counterpart,” Rufus said with a frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I believe at this juncture, the best we can do is to monitor the situation,” Tseng said in his usual tone.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I know I’m not the first one to give you secret missions in regard to Sephiroth, but if you could send me messages about his mental and emotional state, particularly if anything suggests any downward trend, I want to know everything. I want to be able to deal with issues before they get out of hand,” Rufus said with a frown, “and if you become concerned that Hojo is about to make a move on you, go to the Turks. They’ll have orders to protect you from Hojo.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Ya know, I’m almost concerned by the fact that so many guys want to protect me. You, Angeal, Genesis, Zack, Reno, now Veld, Tseng, and Rufus.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘I’m not surprised. You’re the first woman SOLDIER. You’re important to the Company’s image and you hold key information in regards to saving the Planet. Of course everyone would want to keep you safe.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘It feels weird.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘I’ve never heard you complain about this before.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I discussed the situation with Director Veld last night before the meeting. He agrees with me that after a certain point, it will become necessary for me to leave Midgar,” she said, looking down as she kept those particular thoughts protected deeply.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Seph had enough issues and problems to deal with on his own without sending him into fits at the idea that at some point, she would be leaving his side entirely because it was best for her to leave than cause a bloodbath courtesy of said guy. She was quite convinced that if he felt that he had to choose between her leaving and Hojo dying, he wouldn’t even debate; he would immediately kill Hojo. Which wasn't that difficult of a decision to make, even for her. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘That’s because at the beginning, the only people who wanted to protect me were people I considered friends. Now it feels like everyone’s appearing out of the woodwork to protect me. Like I’m some… little girl who needs protecting.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Need I remind you of your escapade with Scarlet earlier this week?’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘It’s not my fault she said something which made me wanna deck her.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘The fact that you showed enough restraint to merely insult her is commendable. However, you continued to goad her while in a very disadvantageous position. That is the part that upsets me and has made me want to ensure your safety.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“In which case, I will ensure that you get as much assistance as you require. I’ve spent enough of your time as it is and you leave for a mission tomorrow. We will work on concrete plans later,” Rufus said with a forced smile even if their conversation had been intense, “I will run a request through the Turks to give you clearance for this level and I’ll set up future appointments with more warning than this.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘I suppose it would be difficult to get a replacement mentee if I get myself killed.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span><em>‘Ami… there is absolutely no way I could ever replace you,’</em> he sent through the connection, his mental voice quiet and almost sorrowful.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thank you, sir,” she stated, standing up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Please, call me Rufus.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ami was starting to feel like she was having the kind of day where she was dragged or carted off out of nowhere when she took only a few steps onto the SOLDIER floor before she found herself dragged off by Genesis.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Remember what we talked about this morning?” Genesis asked with a smile, “I’m going to shove you through enough self-care and retail therapy that your self-loathing can’t handle it. We are going to make you feel beautiful.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m fairly certain self-care and retail therapy aren’t suggested treatments for trauma, Genesis,” she commented with a sigh as they waited for the elevator.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Have you tried it?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Then how would you know it won’t work with you?” he asked with a slight smile before dragging her into the elevator behind him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She wasn’t going to answer that question and merely sighed. She knew to pick her battles and this wasn’t one she’d ever win. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : : .</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Author’s Note: 3/5/21</p><p>Oh my goodness. So! This chapter has been a nuisance to wrestle with. I knew what I wanted/needed to deal with and the words just refused to pour out. It’s annoying. It’s like I’m just plain old not being able to focus at all. </p><p>I’m also working on a side crack series that is attached to BtV but has 0 plot relevance. It’s just insanity that has been percolating in my brain. The first chapter has Ami nearly die out of embarrassment throughout most that I’ve written so far. I’m hoping that the crack might help me get the words flowing.</p><p>I hope that the next chapter comes easier.</p><p>Laters!<br/>~Gregora</p><p>Next Time on BtV: Once aboard the Gelnika, everyone deals with their thoughts and worries on their own terms, in silence. Questions are asked and answers given. Does anything stand in the light of the answers?</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0045"><h2>45. Flight Flashbacks</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Once aboard the Gelnika, everyone deals with their thoughts and worries on their own terms, in silence. Questions are asked and answers given. Does anything stand in the light of the answers?</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Disclaimer: I don’t own squat except for Ami. I’m just playing in Square-Enix’s sandbox, yo. Also, I need feedback and lots of since I know I’m not perfect and if things don’t mesh or match up, I’d like to know how to fix it. Anyways, on with the story!</p><p>Trigger Warning:</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Chapter Forty-Two</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Veld stared at Tseng as he listened to the younger man’s report - he had to remind himself that Tseng wasn’t a boy anymore. He’d been frowning as Tseng mentioned something Ami had divulged to him the previous night - that Hojo was intending to use her to willingly or unwillingly give birth to Sephiroth’s children. If his theory was correct, it would mean that the children would be Vincent’s grandchildren. An inner part of him was amused at the idea of his old partner being a grandfather. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But what bothered him about Tseng’s report was that Ami was concerned of Hojo having tortured Sephiroth and conditioned the boy in his youth, an assessment which made sense based on the very scant interactions he had with him. He was a Turk, after all, and that meant knowing how to perform torture and conditioning as well as how to recognize symptoms of such things. And if Hojo had done such a thing to the kid… He had to take a deep breath and push his paternal rage down. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Vincent was alive, according to Ami. Alive and in self-imposed exile, brooding over his mistakes and self-loathing. She’d mentioned that it would take a lot of effort to ‘drag him kicking and screaming out of his coffin’, whatever she meant by coffin. He knew that he’d need some things before he’d try to reach Vincent. He was going to need to start with step one.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I need you to put together an investigation team. We need to look into these accusations toward Hojo. We’ll need to hear everything that goes on up there and I’ll also need Hojo to release Sephiroth’s genetic data. He’s been using his power to block us from adding that to our database, which has been unacceptable. In light of all the accusations, that data is going to be of critical importance.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Of course, Director,” Tseng said with a slight and polite bow, “I agree that she doesn’t appear to be lying. Especially when it was obvious that she was reliving traumatic memories. What shall we do if she is correct about the accusations that Hojo has been torturing Sephiroth? It can prove… problematic considering the potential for casualties.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He understood what Tseng meant. It was an open secret among the Turks that Sephiroth was quite probably the strongest man on the Planet, likely due to whatever Hojo had done to the kid. If someone of his strength went unhinged or on a rampage, there was nothing they could do other than either throw themselves into the meat grinder in hopes that he could be worn down or stay out of his way. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He’d noticed telltale signs of stress and overwork in the kid, enough that he looked at the kid’s vacation record. As of two years ago, the kid had taken to go on vacation for a week every January, shortly after the beginning of the year. When the Company would be recovering from Solstice and New Year’s. The only time in the year when the flow of paperwork would naturally be at its lowest. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“If she’s correct in terms of what Hojo has done in regards to Sephiroth, Hojo will need to be monitored and controlled. His access to Sephiroth will need to be limited. Sephiroth will likely need a steady Turk hand to help him recover since we should be able to undo the worst of the damage. If her intel is accurate, I have the perfect Turk in mind for such a project,” Veld said, allowing a small smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ami was impressed with her willpower since she’d been tempted to give Seph a hug before she’d left to board the plane. She was rather amused by the fact that he’d wrapped his arms around her from the moment she’d climbed into bed and snuggled up against him until both of them knew that if they delayed any longer, Angeal would have come up the stairs and dragged them both down for breakfast. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ami was fairly certain that she had willpower equal to Seph when she’d fought off the urge to kiss the guy during their morning cuddle session. He’d allowed so much of his emotions bleed into the connection before he had his morning coffee and fully woken up. She’d felt his emotional pain at the impending separation, which echoed her own. Instead, she’d rested her head on his shoulders, her forehead resting against the base of his neck. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I made sure that there’ll be enough leftovers and frozen meals,” Angeal stated as all of them stood at the airfield right outside Midgar city limits, “if I find that you skipped even a single meal, you will regret it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She saw Seph give Angeal a nod before saying, “you worry too much.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sometimes, I wonder if I don’t worry enough,” Angeal said with a frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“When those two get like this, it’s like seeing an unstoppable force meet an immovable object,” Genesis commented to her with some humor, “or in this case, mother hen meets stubborn chick.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m not a stubborn chick,” Seph said in a deadpan.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You can be sometimes,” Ami said with a small chuckle, siding with Angeal and Genesis.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘I see how it is. Siding against me,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> she heard his voice in her head over the connection, full of amusement and clearly fake outrage, almost pouting. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“If I miss a meal, it’s because I got distracted,” Seph said with a slight huff.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We’ll see you in a week at most,” Angeal said before smiling, “try not to let SOLDIER fall into disarray without me?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I make no promises,” Seph responded before Angeal headed towards the plane.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’d make a comment about not burning anything down, but that’s more my area,” Genesis commented with a smirk.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I should be the one to tell you to not burn down the jungle,” Seph stated, clearly in agreement before Genesis went to join Angeal.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Take care of yourself, Seph,” Zack stated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You too,” he said, also dismissing Zack.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She figured he stood there silently for so long because he wanted to not be in earshot. Which would be awfully silly of him since they had the mental connection between them. There was something about his gaze which drew her closer. She wanted nothing but to embrace him and kiss him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ll miss you,” he said quietly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And you know that I’ll miss you too,” she responded just as quietly, trying hard not to stare at either his lips or his eyes for too long.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes,” he said, his deep voice almost a purr with how quiet he was speaking.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Silence fell between them, she hadn’t felt like she’d been dismissed and he wasn’t making any clear moves to dismiss her. She was also not going to marvel at his lips which she remembered full well how they felt against her’s. Nor was she going to stare into his beautiful catlike eyes which sparkled so prettily. Well, too much. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I…” she started to say before hesitating and letting the words die on her lips.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hmm?” he asked, raising a quizzical eyebrow.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I almost wish I didn’t have to go,” she admitted quietly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“As do I,” he said quietly, his voice so smooth to her ears that she knew she would definitely miss his voice too.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Silence fell upon them again. Neither making moves to leave as she felt his gaze upon her face. She was certain he just moved slightly towards her, almost looming over her, despite only a handful of inches of height difference. She’d have been intimidated if she didn’t know him as well as she did, even if nothing screamed danger about him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Before either she or Seph could say another word to each other, the moment was brutally murdered, courtesy of one Puppy.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“If you two are gonna kiss, kiss already!” Zack shouted at them from the Gelnika.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She swore her face was hot enough to cook an egg. She was quite certain that Seph was blushing too with how his cheeks were flushing pink. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I probably should…” she trailed off, motioning towards the Gelnika in a way that she was later certain that it was the most awkward gestures she’d ever done.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes. You probably should,” he agreed with a nod, “take care.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ll stay in touch,” she said, inching towards the Gelnika, stepping backward as if she were physically unable to turn away from him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Please do,” he said before turning on his heels and striding back to the vehicle they’d all crammed into - Angeal’s “bus”.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His movement seemed to have broken the spell that she’d fallen under as she found herself able to turn away and toward the Gelnika. She tried hard not to notice Angeal’s very amused grin and Genesis’s raised eyebrow.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Once the Gelnika leveled off, Zack was instantly standing on the deck, doing squats. It was better than just sitting around doing nothing. He thought back to a rather awkward discussion he had with Seph the previous day. It was certainly not what he’d expected when he got the memo that the so-called Silver General wanted to see him as soon as he was available. It was really odd because Zack hardly ever was summoned to Seph’s office. He’d assumed that it was mostly because he spent a lot of time just chilling there. It was hard to be summoned to one of the places he usually could be found at. But he found that Seph had called for him and he couldn’t help but to wonder why. Was he going to be given a super-secret, Zack-eyes-only mission?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He could see it now, it would be a perfectly heroic super amazing and ultra cool mission which would make him look cool and would prove to be the last push he needed to make First. Angeal had already recommended him for First, after all. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Wait. Maybe that was why he was called in? To discuss his clearly impending promotion. After all, Seph was the one who did the day-to-day managing of SOLDIER and handled things that Director Lazard couldn’t. And that included promotions, right?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Or he could be in trouble. He really didn’t like being in trouble. It was bad enough whenever he was in trouble with Angeal. But Seph? Seph was someone he really, really didn’t want to get on his bad side. That was usually the side that people saw a second before dying. So he really, really wanted to not be in trouble.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Please tell me that I’m not in trouble! I’m too young to die!” Zack pleaded the moment he’d entered Seph’s office.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Seph just sat there, pen in hand, the pen hovering over the paper, his face turned to face him. Slowly his expression went from blank to confused as his eyebrows drifted and he blinked at him several times. He had no idea what the guy was thinking. Seph’s brain was utterly mysterious.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Should I call for Angeal? Disciplinary action for any issues you cause are best handled by him. And you are aware that I wouldn’t kill you nor any member of SOLDIER.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“If I’m not in trouble, then why did you call me to your office then? Is there like a super-ultra-secret mission you could only trust to me? Or is it about me making First?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sephiroth continued to blink at him. He did a lot of that whenever it was just the two of them. It made the other man look more like a cat. Perhaps, he was part cat and like cats, he was showing affection by blinking. Perhaps he should try that some time. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I wanted to ask you for advice,” Seph said slowly and carefully.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh?” he asked before grinning widely as he sat down across from Seph.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He’d never been tapped to give advice by Seph before. This was definitely a momentous occasion. Had anyone told him years ago that he’d meet and be friends with Seph and was asked by said friend for advice, his younger self would have probably been excited by the very idea.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What do you need my advice about, Seph?” he asked, putting the heels of his boots on Seph’s desk.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Paws off the desk, puppy,” Seph said with a sigh before setting the pen down.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He let out a sad groan as he removed his feet from Seph’s desk before Seph said, “I’m familiar that you are… experienced with women. I’m finding myself… rather curious about the prospect.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hold on. You’re coming to me for relationship advice?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I believe I was about to make that clear. Yes. I’m asking you for relationship advice.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Okay, what do you need specifically?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I have no idea what having a relationship with a woman entails. I’m merely aware that it’s different from friendship. I’m led to believe that it’s better than friendship.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Wow. That’s a lot to unpack. You really don’t know much about social stuff, do you?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“My training consisted merely of what would be beneficial to know on the battlefield. It took some work to be allowed to learn some scientific fundamentals outside what was deemed useful.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Okay,” he said, rubbing the back of his head, “I wouldn’t say a girlfriend is better than having them as a friend, but more of an additional level. It’s really about what you’re comfortable doing with this person and wanting her to be a bigger part of your life. And treating her like an absolute queen and supporting her. Take her out on dates. That kind of thing. The fact that you’re considering dating her says that she must be someone very special.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Exceedingly,” he said quietly, “what are these ‘dates’ you speak of? And how would one go about treating anyone ‘like an absolute queen’?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He’d been told by the man himself that he was utterly clueless, but he was astounded that he was that level of clueless. And this was after who knows how many years as Angeal and Genesis’s best friend. He almost wanted to know exactly how bad Seph had been when those two had entered his life.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Dates are when you take the person you’re interested in or the person you’re dating to… things that they like. Theater shows or movies, usually it’s something like a dinner and a movie. Or to a romantic location. Something that you know is something they enjoy or are interested in,” Zack explained with a smile as he watched Seph take in the information, “and what I meant about treating her ‘like an absolute queen’, I mean giving her things that mean something to her. Most girls like jewelry or ice cream or chocolate.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So if I know she likes reading, books are appropriate gifts?” Seph asked with a slight head tilt.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yep,” Zack said with a nod.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Are there any sort of price restrictions when it comes to gifts?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s really up to whether she likes expensive things or not. If she’s into you, I think it’d be just the thought that counts,” he said with a smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He saw Seph do one of his small frowns before turning back to work on his paperwork. There was something almost sad about the other man.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thank you for your advice, Zack,” Seph said, “you may go.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He let out a sigh before leaning towards the desk in the chair before saying, “Seph, something’s bothering you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I applaud your powers of observation,” Seph had said, completely deadpan. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You can talk to me,” he’d said quietly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I have been, but thank you for your permission,” Seph commented, still deadpan before letting out a huff, “I can’t go out on dates. Not like everyone else can.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Right, because of your image,” Zack said with a nod, “can’t have Midgar drown in the tears of all of your adoring fans.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sephiroth seemed to hesitate a moment before saying, “yes. My image is important to the Company and it is paramount that I keep it untarnished.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I wouldn’t let that get in the way of your happiness, Seph,” he said with a smile before getting up and left.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He had a good idea as to who Seph was interested in. Especially considering how weird Seph was acting when the guy was obviously having trouble saying his farewell to Ami. It was actually rather cute. He was convinced that the two of them were totally into each other. He wondered if they were into each other before the rescue mission or after. He was going to need to ask them at a better time, well after their relationship had gotten off the ground. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He had some brainstorming to do for Operation: Get Those Two Together.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Genesis was rather surprised when he saw that Ami wasn’t at her desk and poked his head into Sephiroth’s office, looking for the man’s wayward mentee and instead saw the man himself behind piles of paperwork. Were the people in charge trying to murder the man by way of paperwork? Deplorable. And much slower than necessary, it was more like torture than an actual murder attempt. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Where’s your mentee?” he asked, getting himself comfortable in a chair in front of Seph’s desk.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Apparently, Tseng collected her for a meeting with Rufus. She claims that neither of them are about to murder her, but I’m not holding my breath,” Seph said with a slight sigh that came out as a huff.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Wonder what they want with her,” he said with a frown, wondering if he was going to need to assist Seph with a rescue mission.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Probably to verify her story and likely to see how much she knows,” Seph said with a slight roll of his shoulders that was the closest to a shrug he’d ever seen the man make before he looked up at the paperwork with a slight frown. “I’m probably going to regret this, but you are the one who’s the best at this kind of thing between us and Angeal and Zack. How would you go about showing someone that you’re interested in them?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Oh? Now this was interesting. The Great and glorious Sephiroth, Shinra’s Silver General and SOLDIER poster boy and rumored gay or asexual was interested in someone. He could easily let something like this slip to the Silver Elite and then take in the delightful drama. Oh, it would be glorious seeing everyone have a fit over the fact that the ‘most eligible bachelor in Midgar’ no longer being single. The streets of Midgar would flood with all the tears, indeed. Of course, he wouldn’t disclose the identity of the lucky individual. He may be an asshole, but he had standards. He wouldn’t want to sabotage his friend’s happiness like that.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Usually taking them out on a date is a clear statement of interest,” he said with a smile before asking, “so who’s the lucky person?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And if one’s unable to take anyone out on a date?” Seph asked, clearly dodging the question he wanted answered the most.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Why would you be unable to take anyone out on a date? Only you would be unable to do something as simple as asking your target ‘want to go out for dinner and a movie’. It’s not that difficult, Sephy,” he said with a sigh.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Really, Sephy was just such a lost cause sometimes. Only he would find difficulty in the smallest social interactions which have nothing to do with his job. Utterly hopeless. He had no idea how someone so pathetic managed to become a War Hero, but that was what he, Genesis Rhapsodos, was there for. To occasionally assist his poor socially illiterate and emotionally stunted friend with small, basic human interactions. With how utterly clueless the man was in regards to just about everything to do with being human, he wondered if the man was really human sometimes. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He started to think as to who Sephy would be interested in and his mind only conjured up one possibility. The one who has made the other man happier since she’d entered his life. The one who, when all initial evidence suggested that Sephy was dead, refused to believe it and had run off to rescue him. The one who admitted that she protected Sephy’s mind at night and he protected her’s. If it was anyone but Ami, he would question Sephiroth’s taste.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I can’t tell you why, Genesis. Only that I can’t without negative consequences. You don’t know the full situation,” Sephy said with the barest of sighs as he looked… tired.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sephy looked tired and worn and exhausted. He hadn’t noticed. He wondered how long Sephy was in this shape and he hadn’t seen. An echo of guilt poked at him for having failed at something as simple as being aware of his friend’s state. Especially after that scare back in Wutai, when he wouldn’t admit to anyone save himself that he’d come face to face with exactly how much the silver haired man meant to him and vice versa. No, he was going to have to change. He was going to have to be a better friend. Maybe later. Drama beckoned.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Is this individual you’re interested in Ami, by any chance?” he asked with a smile, getting a nod from his friend.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“She has become… important to me. I… I find that I’ve grown fond of her. I fear that it may be too soon or that it’s… inadvisable to pursue her,” he said, pausing at times to clearly choose the most accurate word possible.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Why don’t you tell her yourself and why would you think it’s inadvisable? Because she’s your mentee?” he asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Among other reasons,” Sephy said with another barely-sigh before saying, “Hojo experimented on her and wants me to… and he doesn’t care if she consents or not and… she deserves better.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Is this related to her Hojo-related freak out before we pranked his office and lab?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes, as well as her incidents where she was sexually harassing me. She was trying to force me to send her away. For my sake,” he said quietly, looking away, “she was willing to suffer with Hojo than to force my involvement.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Personally, I think you should pursue her. I can tell that you’re important to her and she’s important to you. F&amp;$k Hojo and his plans. Do what makes you happy. This is your life, Sephiroth. Hojo can’t stop you from living it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Actually, yes he can,” Sephiroth said quietly, “if he so chooses, he can force me into his lab and he can vivisect me, torture me, abuse me, condition me… I’m nothing but Company property. I’m barely even human. All he needs is an excuse.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He stared at Sephiroth and he finally understood so much about the other man in that moment. Why it had taken until they lived together to finally see the man under the Silver General persona he’d crafted. Why that persona even existed. Why, when they were teenagers, Sephiroth had a panic attack over being able to choose what he would eat for lunch when they took him out for lunch the first time. Why he was so emotionally stunted, found emoting to be difficult. Because the guy lived in terror of Hojo. Because Hojo had shaped him into whatever Hojo wanted him to be.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I… I didn’t know,” he said quietly, staring at his friend as if he now understood so much more, like he was looking at his friend for the first time and really seeing him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You do now. I’d prefer it if you can keep it from Angeal. I don’t need more pity than I’m already getting from you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’d like to think that I’m looking at you in compassion.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It needs work,” Sephiroth deadpanned.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ll add it to the pile of things I won’t tell Angeal. However, if you turn up missing for hours, I will tell Angeal of it as a possible location and we’ll rescue you,” he said, looking at his friend.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His tired and worn looking friend. Was his friend looking this tired and worn because of the stress of knowing that he could be dragged to Hojo at the scientist’s whim? And to be hurt in just about every way a person could? He knew that he was going to need to drag his friend to the snuggle sofa after dinner. There would be no way he’d be able to sleep tonight without having ensured that Sephiroth knew that he was safe with him, Angeal, and Ami around.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Does Ami know?” he asked quietly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“As her potential for continued problematic behavior became a risk factor, I had to inform her that if it appeared that I have failed in keeping her in line, it could be used as an excuse for Hojo to… improve me, as he likes to put it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He had to shiver as he remembered how haunted Sephiroth looked in that moment. How he wanted to find the courage to approach the other man and just give him a hug. But it wouldn’t do anything but make him feel better about his friend’s life which looked increasingly shittier every time said friend opened up more to him. He was willing to bet that his friend’s life would only improve with Hojo’s removal from the face of the Planet.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Angeal relaxed as everyone seemed to have relaxed themselves or went about busying themselves. Ami was clearly listening to music, humming along with her eyes closed. Zack was unsurprisingly doing squats since the boy could never stay still for long periods of time. Genesis had pulled out his favorite copy of Loveless and was once again reading it silently. He knew that things weren’t going to be as quiet and calm once the craft landed and they went about their mission to obtain the Keystone needed to obtain the Black Materia.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Since there was literally nothing he could do in regards to the mission, he found himself contemplating other issues. Particularly involving the unfolding drama between one of his best friends and said friend’s mentee. Ami had confided in him that she had feelings towards Seph but was clearly unwilling to act on them with the opinion that it was one sided. He hadn’t had the heart to tell her that he knew for a fact that it wasn’t.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She hadn’t seen what Sephiroth had been like before she’d entered their lives. The man seemed almost listless, like someone who was just going in the direction everyone wanted him to go. Not quite living, just...existing. Even when it was just the three, and occasionally four, of them, he just seemed to be drifting. It was almost depressing seeing the lack of drive outside of what he swore was a deep-seated terror of something that drove him to such great heights, that forced him to hold himself to such near-impossible standards which he’d managed to meet somehow. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And it took a lot less time for Seph to relax completely in her presence than he’d expected, revealing his truest self in the apartment the day of the painful explanations. Although, it hadn’t caught him by surprise since they’d caught the two embracing on the snuggle sofa, having fallen asleep together. He’d never seen Seph in such a position before, </span>
  <em>
    <span>that</span>
  </em>
  <span> had been a surprise. He’d seen Seph seek out comfort but had never seen him give comfort like that. It had been quite a nice scene. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>If it hadn’t been that obvious, the conversation he’d had with his friend the previous day had cemented the fact that Seph did in fact felt the same towards Ami as Ami felt for him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He’d walked into Seph’s office after seeing that the door was open. He’d wanted to simply check on his friend, see how he was holding up as he caught up on the seemingly never ending stacks of paperwork and files. Seph had glanced up at him for a moment.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“The door, please,” Seph said in his usual polite tone before he closed the door behind him, “I could use your advice. I don’t know if I’m making a mistake or if the mistake has already been made and I’m just now facing the consequences.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He moved to sit down in front of Seph’s desk and merely waited for his friend to start talking. He knew better than to push the other man into talking. It was best to let Seph speak at his own pace to the extent that he wished. He’d noticed that it made the other man feel better. He heard what qualified as a sigh to Seph pass through the man’s lips before he set his pen down.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I… I find myself fond of Ami,” Seph said, sounding like the admission had hurt to let out, “more than I probably should feel towards her. She… deserves more than what she’s been given since her arrival and likely before then.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You sound like you love her, Seph,” he stated quietly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I wouldn’t know. I’m not familiar with the topic,” Seph said quietly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Love is when a person cares and accepts another, putting the other person’s best interests first, caring about the other person’s wellbeing, their needs and desires. It’s a commitment based on trust and compassion. And you want to be with that person as much as you can,” Angeal explained patiently before asking with a slight smile, “is that how you feel towards her?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“With some additions, yes,” Seph said, his voice quiet as he still stared down at whatever paperwork he’d been working on, “and… that’s a problem.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Because the additions would be causing you to do what Hojo wanted you to do with her,” he stated with a sigh, getting a nod from his friend. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Among other things I don’t want to tell you,” he said, his voice still quiet, “I can’t engage in the typical human courtship rituals. I wish to do so for her, mostly because she’d expect them and because it would likely make her happy. She’s experienced too much pain and hardship as it is.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I can’t and won’t tell you what to do, Seph. All I can is give you advice and tell you what I would do based on what I do know of your situation. I’d tell her how I felt, even if the words are as awkward and painful as they possibly could. I’d also discuss the situation of a deeper relationship with her and brainstorm solutions than being stuck in despair. Assuming that she’d be interested and willing in deepening the relationship,” he said with a sigh.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His friend merely nodded before quietly saying, “I’m concerned that deepening our relationship would cause me to lose her.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“There are a lot of stories about people who love each other but never act on it eventually drift apart, never to be together,” he counseled his friend with a frown, “it all depends on what you’d rather have. Would you rather live with regret that you never acted on your emotions and tell her how you feel or would you rather have cherished memories of happier times you can look back on, assuming she’d be interested and you wind up losing her?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His friend hesitated and looked away. He saw Seph tilt his head as he did when he was deep in thought. Light drumming of his fingers on one of the few open spots of his desk. A slight hum. Seph was struggling to come up with an answer. After a moment, he could tell that Seph had an answer.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Which do you think would be less painful to deal with: spectors of a time that never happened or ghosts of a time that happened and ended?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I would rather have fond memories to look back on, but that’s just me,” he said after a moment’s thought, “it’s not a choice I can make for you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Seph nodded, taking in his words before a bit of a smile crossed his lips, “you seem to be better at advice than your puppy.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He gaped at Seph. What could possibly possess Seph to ask advice from Zack of all people? What could Zack possibly have told him? What kind of things did the teen say and how much of it was wildly inaccurate?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Are you nuts?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No. I’m Sephiroth,” his friend deadpanned, causing him to groan.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>So Seph was being Seph and that meant being unable to resist the urge to crack jokes that did not shatter the well-known reputation the man had for being literal minded and serious. That said a lot about the other man’s mental state. Troubled but not to the point of turning down a clear opportunity for a bad and horribly dry joke.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Do I want to know what sort of advice you sought from Zack?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That I can’t say for certain, although I can infer that since you seem curious as to the matter, you do wish to know.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Your moods sometimes give me whiplash,” he said with a sigh, “people don’t usually have sudden moods like this.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I thought that after a… tense conversation, some levity was needed,” Seph stated with a slight frown, “perhaps I need to learn other methods of easing troubled friends.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No, it’s okay Seph,” he said, realizing that his friend’s mood hadn’t changed but that he merely wanted to make him feel better.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>For someone who had a reputation for being made of ice, his friend was downright warm and sensitive. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I figured that since you’ve complained that he has a tendency to pursue women, he would be a good person to inquire how to go about potentially showing interest,” Seph stated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He had to admit that it wasn’t a bad idea. Zack was likely the one to have more knowledge on the topic, especially since he’d started focusing his attention on Aerith outside of work. He’d been told that the boy was going to take Aerith out on a date the Saturday night they’d return from the mission. Sephiroth hadn’t lost command of his faculties but rather understood that Zack was knowledgeable about something that he felt the need to know.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“However, most of the advice won’t be applicable, sadly,” Seph said with a slight frown, “as I don’t have the ability to take Ami out on any dates she may wish to go on.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m sure you could think of ways you could take her out on dates without it becoming a problem. Perhaps in disguise,” Angeal offered, “or take her somewhere private enough that you can be certain of your safety and comfort.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He could see that Seph was actually considering his advice, which was usually fifty-fifty odds. Which told him how important this was to the other man.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Which was blindingly obvious considering how Seph and Ami seemed to have issues parting that morning. He wondered that if not for Zack’s interruption, would they have kissed or simply stood there staring at each other. It was nice seeing Seph grow so much as a person the last few months and seeing Seph become much happier. He wondered if Ami knew how much she affected his friend and the man that she’d admitted to him that she was interested in.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He shook his head at the realization that those two had enough personal issues that they couldn’t seem to see beyond their noses. That they saw themselves in such a harsh, negative light that they refused to believe that the other would be interested. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Gen?” he asked, looking over at his friend who now closed his copy of Loveless to regard him, “when did our lives become a drama?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He saw the redhead put on a beaming grin before saying, “honestly, the day we met. I am drama.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ain’t that the truth,” Ami commented in a low tone, causing Genesis to take on a more confident and arrogant expression.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s nice to know that my efforts are noticed.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“But sadly, not as appreciated,” Ami sniped back, causing Genesis’s arrogant expression to morph into a more scandalized expression.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You wound me!” Genesis exclaimed quite dramatically.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And right where it’d hurt most. Right in the ego,” Ami commented, clearly sarcastically, “critical hit.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : : .</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Author’s Note: 3/8/21</p><p>I sometimes hate cracky plot bunnies that grasp my brain and keep me up until almost 4 am and then waking up 4-5 hours later. Yay.</p><p>I’m too much a zombie to say more, lol.</p><p>Laters!<br/>~Gregora </p><p>Next Time on BtV: Does Veld get what he’s searching for? The team reaches Gongaga and come face to face with Zack’s family and they even poke around the reactor just in case.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0046"><h2>46. Missions and Truths</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Does Veld get what he’s searching for? The team reaches Gongaga and come face to face with Zack’s family and they even poke around the reactor just in case.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Disclaimer: I don’t own squat except for Ami. I’m just playing in Square-Enix’s sandbox, yo. Also, I need feedback and lots of since I know I’m not perfect and if things don’t mesh or match up, I’d like to know how to fix it. Anyways, on with the story!</p><p>Trigger Warning:</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Chapter Forty-Three</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ami had never seen a jungle before outside of a computer or tv screen and found that she wasn’t fond of the experience of traipsing through the Gongaga jungle. She knew that in the game, the jungle was home to a rather unpleasant type of enemy which she’d hoped did not exist in the real Gaia. Based on the briefing they had before leaving, she learned that her hopes were in vain. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The group stopped as some of the nearby flora rustled moments before what appeared to be a bipedal frog stepped onto the path. Almost everyone had the same reaction. Angeal was preparing to pummel it as Genesis was casting a spell, likely a fire based spell, as she pulled out her pistols since she didn’t wish to get into toad range. Zack, however, screamed like a little girl while smashing it with his sword, not bothering to use a sharp edge on it but the flat of the standard issue broadsword and kept bashing it repeatedly until its body wasn’t more than a splatter of gore.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Zack, it’s dead,” Angeal stated, clearly wanting to comfort his mentee and snap Zack out of his instinctual reaction to smash the Touch-Me until it was dead and then some.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>At Angeal’s pronouncement, Zack just stood there with his sword halfway through another swing. Everyone could hear his shaky breaths and see just how much his sword was shaking in his grip. She knew that he was likely to have an attack response considering that he was so vehement about killing Touch-Mes on sight, but she hadn’t expected a war cry that sounded more terrified than angry and him using his sword with blunt force until there was nothing distinguishable left.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She watched, feeling uncertain as Zack jerkily and shakily returned his sword back to his back and ran a just as shaky and jerky hand through his spikes, closing his eyes. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re safe, Zack,” Angeal stated, approaching Zack carefully before placing his hand on Zack’s shoulder.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thanks, Geal,” Zack said with a smile. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Shortly afterward, the group continued on through the jungle. The Touch-Me incident had distracted her momentarily from the flying insects that appeared to think that she was particularly tasty. She knew that if she kept swatting the insects, she ran the risk of hitting herself in the face.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So what should we expect when we meet your family?” Ami asked with some amusement.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Chaos, mostly,” Zack said with a grin, “I’ve got two sisters, one older and one younger.” It was then that Zack frowned and said, “and don’t be too surprised if my mom tries to hook us up or insist we’re dating, Ami. She’s been eager to see me with a girl.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I hear ya,” Ami said with a smile and nod, “adopted parents were the same way. They wanted to see me settle down with someone they approved of. They backed off when the first guy turned out to be abusive and controlling to the point that I was hospitalized. I’m under the impression he didn’t live much longer after that.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Everyone looked at her at her summary which apparently came off a little too flippant due to the expressions, although there was some worry and concern there. She felt a bit guilty because from then on, they traveled in silence.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sephiroth set down his pen and picked up his PHS. The last message from Ami was an hour ago, letting him know that they were minutes from landing. By now, they would be going through the jungles around Gongaga and likely to need their wits about them due to the presence of Touch-Mes. Meanwhile, he took another bite from the sandwich he’d grabbed for lunch from the cafeteria. He knew he’d need to eat more than just a sandwich for lunch if he didn’t want Angeal to give him a lecture about self-care. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He had to remind himself that everyone would be just fine and that it was normal to feel a sort of separation anxiety since his mentee had gone on a mission without him for the first time. He refused to acknowledge the fact that it was likely more than just a mentor’s separation anxiety, at least until he’d reach the apartment then he’d allow himself to show and feel more than that. He had to wait until he knew he was safe before dealing with emotions that were normally off-limits as far as Hojo decreed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He honed his focus on his task at hand and went back to the paperwork.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ami didn’t know what to expect of a pre-exploded Gongaga, but what she found was almost a cute little village. Houses were dome shaped and were built with rocks, bricks, and wood as was expected from a village out in the middle of a jungle. There were larger dome shaped structures which wound up being places like the school, the hospital, and the community center. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We should find out where we’ll be staying and get squared away before we look at the reactor,” Angeal stated before looking at Zack, “do you know where the inn is? Unless you have any other ideas.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“The inn is likely the best bet,” Zack said, sounding almost cagey to her ears, “I wouldn’t want to impose on my family.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>What followed was a rather simple exchange of money for the three rooms the inn had vacant with the understanding that Zack had his own lodgings and deserved a chance to spend time with his family while he had the opportunity. It was quickly agreed that not all of them needed to go check the reactor out so Angeal had decided to go with Zack to see his family while she and Genesis went to check out the reactor.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sir,” Tseng said once he stood in Veld’s office, “the tasks you assigned have been accomplished. I had a team put in some additional ears and eyes all over Hojo’s personal lab and office as well as to obtain the information you sought.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Excellent,” Veld said with a smile, “and of Hojo’s missing Ancient?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I regret to inform you that she remains missing,” Tseng responded with slight humor, “she appears to be doing fine, all things considered. She received quite a scare the other day.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t want anything to happen while some of our allies are out on a mission,” Veld said with a frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Understood, sir,” Tseng said, “I will be dispatching additional bodies to this task.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Please do. She’s rather essential, after all,” Veld said, dismissing Tseng.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Veld smiled to himself as he navigated to where the new data should be logged, pulling up Sephiroth’s file. As expected, he saw the words ‘Genetic Signature Available’ as part of the file. From there, it was a simple enough process to request a genetic comparison between Sephiroth, the two individuals Sephiroth had been researching, and Hojo. As part of standard procedure, he made the samples anonymous with the signifiers listed as SN, LC, VV, and TH before submitting the request. With the computer power available to the Turks, he suspected that he’d have the results by the end of the workday. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He sent a message to the kid with a small smile on his face. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>To: Sephiroth</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>From: Veld</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Subject: Answers</strong>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>Come to my office before you leave HQ. I should have more answers then.</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>- Veld</strong>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Please tell me that you’ve got an idea of what we’re looking for if anything’s wrong,” Ami said as they entered the reactor. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Usually, Angeal’s not exactly fond of my having ideas,” Genesis commented with an amused smirk, “usually something explodes or catches on fire whenever I get an idea.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ami’s smirk fell as she saw a red orb on top of the reactor. She blinked and chuckled as she realized that she’d assumed that it wasn’t in place yet. Apparently, it was.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Gen,” Ami said, nodding to where she saw the summon materia, “I thought it wasn’t here yet.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Shouldn’t be too difficult to get at,” Genesis said with a wide grin.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Zack sat on the couch and swore that he was being put through the worst torture imaginable. All he could do was stare at his feet as he realized that he now had a new big brother. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m so glad that our Zack managed to wind up with such a great mentor,” his mom said, practically beaming at Angeal.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He’s earned it. I had very exact qualities I wanted in a mentee and Zack managed to hold all those qualities,” Angeal said with a smile, “he still has some growing yet to do, but that will come with time.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You haven’t touched anything since you got here. You usually at least grab a cookie or a dozen,” his mom said, looking concerned.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He gave her a bit of a smile before grabbing a cookie and making a show out of wolfing the cookie down. He knew he’d been uncharacteristically quiet and uncertain, but he blamed it all on all the things that were going down. Crazy Sephiroth from a future where he lost his mind attacking them along with three lookalikes, this whole mess about some Black Materia, and the knowledge that at some point in the nearer future, most of Gongaga was going to be leveled because of a reactor explosion. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Is this because of everything happening around us, Zack?” Angeal asked with a sigh.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah. It just seems so crazy and overwhelming,” he said with a frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I agree, but we’re doing everything we can right now. In times like these, you should take some deep breaths and relax when you can,” Angeal counseled with a reassuring smile, “you shouldn’t take on more weight onto your shoulders than you need to, nor borrow trouble.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Angeal’s absolutely right.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sephiroth strode into the main Turk office and saw that the secretary had already left and approached Director Veld’s office carefully. Veld was facing his computer screen and let out a sigh.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Please take a seat, kid,” Veld said with another sigh, “and close the door. We’ve got a lot to discuss, you and I.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He merely nodded before sitting down in one of the chairs in front of Veld’s desk, curious as to why Veld had called him down. Veld turned to look at him and he could see that the elder man looked tired and also angry. He could tell that the anger wasn’t aimed at him, but there was something soft about the man’s gaze.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What do you know about the Turks in terms of our culture down here,” Veld said quietly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re a lot like SOLDIER in that you look out for your people and you don’t leave anyone behind,” Sephiroth said evenly, “and that Turk partnerships are the reason why SOLDIER has a mentorship program, because it was seen and proven that Turk partners tend to exhibit abilities beyond that of the sum of its parts.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“There’s more than that, Sephiroth,” Veld said with a slight frown, “we’re all one big family down here. We do more than look out for our own, but also the families of our own. Especially the children. Well, at least we try.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sephiroth merely gave Veld the look he always gave when he wanted the other person to just get to the point. He saw Veld recognize the look and chuckled.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I see,” Veld said pushing a folder towards Sephiroth, “I just got these results back ten minutes ago.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The folder was thin, likely only holding a few pages and he opened it. There were graphs showing that samples signified as VV and LC had near equal genetic similarities to a sample signified as SN while the one labeled TH had minimal similarities. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I assume that VV is Vincent Valentine and LC is Lucrecia Crescent,” Sephiroth stated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I had to add a letter to yours to keep naming conventions. N stands for Null, in this case,” Veld explained.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So this means that Valentine’s my father then,” Sephiroth said with a slight frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“According to the comparison,” Veld said with a nod, “I’m planning on leaving soon for Nibelheim to drag Valentine out of whatever hole he’s hid himself in. According to your mentee, he went into hiding as soon as he regained control of his body and is, as she phrased it ‘sulking in a coffin over his mistakes that he refers to as sins’. She has said that it will take quite a feat of patience and giving him plenty of reasons to crawl out of what she calls his coffin. I was considering offering you an invitation to come along.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I shouldn’t step foot in Nibelheim,” Sephiroth said with a frown, “considering that Jenova would be near and would try to take over my mind.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“There’s the likelihood that you weren’t aware of that threat the first time around and now that you are, you know to be prepared,” Veld said, “but I won’t force you. Just understand that the circumstances are wildly different from my understanding.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He paused and considered his options. From what Ami told him, when he went to Nibelheim during the other timeline, he believed that Jenova was his mother’s name and that she’d died in childbirth and had potentially given into Jenova after reading journals, reports, and documents Hojo had left in that basement library. And he was well aware how trustworthy Hojo was. Plus, he hadn’t had Ami that time and without Ami, it was unlikely he had as much practice with his telepathic abilities as he did this time. And Angeal and Genesis were still in his life as his friends. No one had yet died or suffered degradation or at least had any obvious signs of such phenomena yet.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I agree, the situation is wildly different,” Sephiroth agreed, “how long shall I expect to be gone?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We’ll be taking a Gelnika up to Rocket Town and then a vehicle up to Nibelheim. Rocket Town is low enough in elevation that it shouldn’t be too difficult to land this late in the fall. From there, we should be able to get there in a truck, provided that we don’t hit any early season blizzards,” Veld said, “I expect a day’s travel time each way. As far as how long we’ll be in Nibelheim, it will be up to Vincent and Gaia.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I suppose we best be prepared for winter weather then,” Sephiroth said with a slight nod.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That would be for the best. If we’re unlucky, we may get snowed in,” Veld warned, “but fortunately, Shinra owns the mansion where your father is hiding in. When is the soonest you could arrange to leave.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I can leave as early as the morning, assuming that you can get Lazard’s permission in time.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I warned Lazard of the possibility and he merely informed me to send him an email if you decide to leave.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ami curled up in the bed and let out a sigh. The blankets were colder than she was used to and the pillows didn’t feel right. She paused before letting out a sigh, realizing that the blankets were warmer back in Midgar despite being fewer and thinner, entirely because Sephiroth was practically a furnace. And she’d gotten used to falling asleep with her head on his shoulder with the occasional pillow between his shoulder and her head mostly to keep her head from cutting off his circulation. Worse was that she’d gotten used to hearing him breathe under her and his gradually slowing pulse as he relaxed and dozed against her. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Instead, she found herself in a cold bed where her head wasn’t in its usual position and there weren’t any of the usual sounds or scents she’d managed to associate with sleep. So all she could do was lay there and hope that Sephiroth was sleeping peacefully and wait for sleep to take her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Back in Midgar, Sephiroth just couldn’t get comfortable in bed. Everything just felt wrong and he knew what it was instantly. All it took was him trying to reach out for her mind on instinct and found no mind where he expected to feel it. He hadn’t even intended to reach out to beckon Ami to join him, it was just something he’d gotten into the habit of doing. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He missed feeling her body cuddled up against and draped over his. How her breath fanned over his chest. How she hummed quietly once she settled into a comfortable position. How she realized that her head had cut off his circulation to his arm once and she started placing a pillow under her head to distribute the weight. How she always hummed whenever he’d drape his free arm over her. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But more than that, he missed the silent back and forth of their mental conversations as they dozed and slowly drifted. How he could hear her pulse incrementally slowed to her sleeping rate.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And there was none of that, save her scent on the pillow she usually rested her head on. He curled around that little reminder of her and hoped that it would be enough to encourage him to sleep. He had a mission to go out on in the morning.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : : .</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Author’s Note: 3/13/21</p><p>So the other writing project has been pulling at me and I’ve been having fun writing with the crew. I don’t know how much I can say or whether we’ll eventually upload it somewhere. All I know was that it was my idea and people came together to enjoy the silly and the feels.</p><p>Also, this chapter was a pain to write too until the plot was like “and you’re going to Nibelheim now”. So that’s going to be the next chapter, Seph and Veld going to Nibelheim. I’m really excited for this mess coming up.</p><p>Laters!<br/>~Gregora</p><p>Next Time on BtV: Veld and Sephiroth’s Nibelheim (mis)Adventure!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0047"><h2>47. Cloudy Skies Over Nibelheim</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Veld and Sephiroth’s Nibelheim (mis)Adventure starts! We meet Cloud who has yet to leave to join Shinra and try to get into SOLDIER.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Disclaimer: I don’t own squat except for Ami. I’m just playing in Square-Enix’s sandbox, yo. Also, I need feedback and lots of since I know I’m not perfect and if things don’t mesh or match up, I’d like to know how to fix it. Anyways, on with the story!</p><p>Trigger Warning:</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Chapter Forty-Four</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was a rather silent and easy trip to Rocket Town. Sephiroth had been collected from his apartment by Veld and a Turk driver and the two of them boarded a Gelnika bound for their first destination. He was concerned at first that the elder Turk would poke and prod at him, but most of the questions were fairly innocuous, that expected of someone trying to get to know him. He’d noticed that when he gave off clear signs of not wanting to broach certain topics, Veld had noticed and had backed away from the topics. It was rather pleasant.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He didn’t mind it when he did most of the work loading up the vehicle they were to use to get to their intended destination of Nibelheim. The burning town from his nightmares. As he sat in the vehicle with Veld driving, he pondered on what he knew of Nibelheim. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Primarily, his thoughts turned to the images of the village burning, all the buildings and houses on fire with bodies littering the dirt streets which darkened with spilled blood. All of the injuries and wounds are consistent with a blade. He’d remembered that many of the nightmares had him slaughtering them all with Masamune with quick efficiency, trapped in his own body yearning to be free from whatever strings controlled his body. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He noticed the sky darkened a bit earlier than expected and frowned, recognizing the signs of an impending blizzard.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“How far are we out?” Sephiroth asked with a frown as he pulled out a pouch from within his coat and started to exchange materia between his bangles and the pouch.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Too far to beat the blizzard,” Veld said with a clear frown, “no matter what we do, we’re going to be caught in it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The lights within the mansion turned on that spring. To the townsfolk, it meant one thing - that Shinra had come back to their sleepy mountain village. The adults spoke in hushed tones about Shinra returning, which the children didn't quite understand why the adults spoke of such an event in such a way. Wasn't Shinra the best? Wasn't Shinra the reason they got to live in warm houses? </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Then, weeks later one of the reactor workers vanished without a trace. He'd said he was stepping out for a smoke. No one saw what happened to him. A few weeks after that, a little girl asked her mama if she could go to a friend's house, just down the lane. The friend never saw the little girl. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>One by one, people vanished. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And then They started appearing at night, seemingly emerging from shadows, ambling through the dim lighting of porch lights and sparse street lanterns. No one could tell anything about Them outside of their identical heights due to the black cloaks. The first time they appeared, it was not long after the reactor worker went missing, and it had only been one of the black cloaked figures. As people went missing, their numbers increased. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Then the stories started, only a scant month after they appeared, how Mrs. Little had lost track of time visiting Ms. Strife and it had become dark. No one saw Mrs. Little after she’d left the Strife household.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The only thing that gave the people of Nibelheim hope was that they never broke through doors and they always disappeared before dawn broke.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>All this well and truly convinced Cloud that he should leave and join SOLDIER, if only to come back and deal with Them. That plan died only a month later.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, you’ll never be a SOLDIER like Sephiroth,” one of the boys sneered as he was shoved by the much larger boy, “for one thing, you’re a runt and for another, you’re just a scared little chocobo.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m not a chocobo!” Cloud had nearly screeched, his voice cracking, “I’ll prove it to you - to everyone - that I’m brave!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Then walk through the streets after sundown. Show us that They don’t scare ya. In fact, I dare you to touch one or tear off one of Their cloaks!” the leader proclaimed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Fine! I’ll show you!” Cloud had proclaimed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That night, he sneaked out of his home by making a rope by tying bedsheets together and securing it to one of the ceiling braces of his attic bedroom and dropped the rest of the rope out of the window. Quietly, he started to climb down, thankful that his idea was working. At least until he got halfway down and then he started to notice that one of the upper knots wasn’t going to hold for very long. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He glanced down at the ground in front of him, seeing that he had well over ten feet left to fall. He hadn’t seen the figure approach from behind him as he continued to climb down as the rope started to fall apart. As he fell, he hoped that whatever he landed in that it would be soft. He felt something wrap around his trunk and kept him from falling. He looked down to see an arm covered in black leather, a metal cuff, and hands covered in black leather. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His heart thumped and not in terror as he closed his eyes. He both wished and didn’t wish for it to be who he swore it had to have been.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What is a boy like you doing sneaking out of your home after dark?” a familiar sounding deep voice asked from behind him as he was lowered to the ground.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As soon as his feet touched the ground, he spun around to see exactly who he swore it was. His childhood idol. In the flesh. He gave him a small, amused smile as the teen just stared wordlessly at him. Speaking was wiped from his mind as he stood in awe that of all people, the Sephiroth had wound up in a backwater such as Nibelheim and, against all odds, had been right there to catch him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well?” the man asked, crouching down to meet his level.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“The boys said I’d never make SOLDIER,” he said, looking down and away from the man as he nervously fidgeted, “and that I was a… scared little chocobo. That I’d prove them wrong by walking the streets at night and getting a scrap of fabric off of Them in the black cloaks.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That was a very foolish dare,” the man said, his voice disappointed, “you could have gotten yourself hurt had I not been there.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Y-yes. Thank you, sir. Sephiroth, sir,” the teen stammered, his voice cracking nervously.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re very welcome,” Sephiroth practically purred, “you should head indoors before something else happens.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He nodded and walked off before hesitating and turned around, “would I ever see you again?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Would you like that?” Sephiroth asked, standing up to his full, majestic height.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I-if it’s not much of a h-hassle, s-sir? I-I mean, you’re likely insanely busy what with your new mentee,” he stammered.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He saw Sephiroth let out a sigh before looking away from him. His expression seemed sad and forlorn, almost longing as he gazed up at the moon and stars.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Not as much as you’d think,” the man said quietly, “and I sincerely doubt you’d believe me if I told you what has happened to me.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He looked at the man he’d idolized for years, ever since the man looked as young as he had and had become a war hero. And they were talking in his backyard, against all odds. The man looked like he could use some help, or if he couldn’t help, a friend or someone to talk to. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’d believe you. And if you wish, I’d even keep it a secret between us, Sephiroth, sir,” he said quietly, slowly gaining more confidence.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Just ‘Sephiroth’ would suffice,” Sephiroth said, giving Cloud another small smile, “and what’s your name?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Cloud, sir. Cloud Strife,” Cloud responded quietly, flinching at the fact that he’d slipped a ‘sir’ before saying, “sorry. Sephiroth.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, Cloud, if I were to share my tale with you, we would need a nice spot to sit down and talk, no?” Sephiroth asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Cloud had to think for a moment before grinning, “I’ve got just the place.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He didn’t know what possessed him to do so, but he grabbed Sephiroth’s right hand and pulled the tall silver haired man along into the nearby woods. The man didn’t give a fight and merely allowed himself to be carried off until they reached a clearing with some fallen logs which had been debarked and made into benches. He sat down on one of the logs in front of a natural firepit that had been used many times in the past. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“One moment,” Sephiroth said before walking off into the woods for a moment before returning with a tree which had clearly fallen some time ago and was clearly dry, “mind breaking off the smaller branches for tinder?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes, sir!” Cloud remarked before doing as Sephiroth had asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Within a matter of moments, he was sitting across from a roaring campfire from his idol. The flickering light played upon the man’s pale skin and reflected in the green catlike eyes. Occasionally, a breeze would come up and play with the long silver strands. There was something about this that looked so dreamlike, like it would only happen in his dreams. As if he would wake up and find that he’d never sneaked out and met his idol.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I was replaced by a fake,” Sephiroth said with a frown after a moment, “the Sephiroth training his mentee is not the real Sephiroth.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What do you mean?” he asked, feeling uncertain as to how there could be two very convincing Sephiroths.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I was not born like you were, but created by Shinra. Because of this, I have abilities beyond humanity, it seems. My consciousness was removed from my body and sent into the Lifestream, only to be replaced by another consciousness. It’s taken up residence in such a way that it will be difficult to regain my body unless the imposter’s will is broken,” Sephiroth explained with a frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s horrible. But if you’re in the Lifestream, how are you talking to me?” Cloud asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“One of my abilities allows me to have a modicum of control over beings with my cells. Those in the cloaks are escaped clones of mine. I try to keep them from wandering off, but they can be a handful sometimes and even I can’t control all of them at once. I’m speaking to you by taking control of a clone of mine and making it look like me,” Sephiroth explained.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Do you know why people are disappearing?” Cloud asked with a frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I do not, sadly,” Sephiroth said with a frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“How do you gain these clones?” Cloud asked, eager to know more.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I have convinced a Shinra scientist to assist me in dealing with the imposter. He’s the one who is creating the clones for me to use.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Cloud weighed the story he heard from Sephiroth. If the man was being honest, it meant that his idol and childhood hero had only one ally but no one he could consider a friend. The man was going to need all the help he could get.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What can I do? You’re going to need all the help you can get,” Cloud said, looking over at Sephiroth.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“How much do you still want to join SOLDIER? I could use someone on the inside. However, communication would be an issue, unless you’d be willing…” Sephiroth said, trailing off with a frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Willing? To do what?” Cloud asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“One of the abilities I have due to my cells, is that if someone becomes host to them, I can telepathically communicate with them,” Sephiroth explained.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ll do whatever I can to help you, Sephiroth,” Cloud said with a smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Excellent. Very good, Cloud. I’m glad that I can trust you,” Sephiroth purred at the teen with a smile that he assumed was friendly and truly happy.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re improving faster than I expected,” Sephiroth said, giving Cloud a smile which did nothing but elate the teen.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Cloud stood up from the forest floor with a smile before picking up the practice sword that Sephiroth had brought him, which was a standard-issue SOLDIER broadsword. He merely nodded and gave Sephiroth a smile before going back into a readied stance.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Have you seen the news?” Cloud asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sephiroth dropped his stance and looked confused before asking, “no I haven’t. Should I?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He also dropped his stance to pull out a newspaper clipping and moved over to pass it over to Sephiroth. Sephiroth unfolded it and his face became a mask of anger.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“How dare he! He cut my hair!” Sephiroth fumed, “he steals my body and then cuts my hair. I know it’ll grow back, but that’s not the issue. He… he’s getting far too comfortable in my body, Cloud. I… it’s distressing.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I know,” the teen said, giving his idol turned friend a pat on the back, “that’s why we’re going to get you your body back, right?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sephiroth was fortunate that Veld had swapped places with him since he could actually see better through the blizzard than the Turk. Better meant avoiding trees, boulders, and large enough drifts to trap them. Better meant having an actual chance at getting to the village and actual shelter. What was fairly interesting was the fact that there were minds out there he could detect. Particularly two of them that had a signature to them that told him that they were capable of sending as well, the rest were almost quite empty and held only echoes. The majority were likely to be clones his evil counterpart had in reserve. He would need to wipe those out before they were sent out for another attack. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>One of the more powerful minds was blocking him hard, which was bothersome but the other was reaching out.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Looks like you’re foolishly braving this blizzard. It would be so easy to dispatch you and it would look like an accident,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> a voice identical to his own purred in his head, the difference being that there was something to his words and speech patterns which didn’t sit well with him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘I doubt anyone would believe it an accident in this flurry. Besides, I doubt you would be able to considering that you’re using weak puppets and gave away the fact that you’re out there and aware of my presence. My question is who is this other mind I’m detecting.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Something that Hojo was working on and decided to release,’ </span>
  </em>
  <span>the other responded, dismissively.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>‘We both know that Hojo isn’t one to let go of any of his specimens that don’t have the sense to die.’</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>‘Are you including your student in that statement?’</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He had to admit that he’d walked into that one and it hurt. After everything that had happened, he’d long since absolved himself of guilt for not having killed Ami. In fact, he found himself glad that Ami’s wound hadn’t killed her. He shoved those thoughts away, to the back of his mind.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>‘What are you doing here?’</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>‘I’m curious to know the same about you. As for me, I’m simply keeping an eye on our Mother. She’s nearby, you know. In the reactor. If you were a good son, you’d want to visit her.’</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>‘She’s not our mother. Our mother is a woman named Lucrecia Crescent and our father is a man named Vincent Valentine. This has been proven by a genetic comparison.’</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>‘Jenova is more our mother than some human who gave birth to us and abandoned us to suffer through Hojo’s care. She is more there for us than that human incubator ever was, has done more for us as well.’</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>‘Are you sure it’s ‘for’ and not ‘to’?’</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He felt a wave of utter rage hit him moments before the mental connection slammed shut. He could only smile to himself knowing that he’d gotten under his opponent’s skin and forced his enemy to retreat. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Good news?” Veld asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes and no,” he stated, “the other me is in Nibelheim, admitting to be guarding Jenova. There’s also another unknown mind in the area and they refused to make contact. I surmise that he’s been using Nibelheim as a base of operations due to the presence of Jenova and what I can only assume are the clones. It’s possible that this unknown mind may be a member of the village that has undergone a similar process as Ami.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Do you think he may have done such things to this ‘Cloud Strife’ Miss Anderson speaks of?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Judging by how she describes him as being fixated on Cloud, I’d be more surprised if it isn’t. I expect that he might also have gotten to Cloud before us. We may be entering enemy territory under less than ideal conditions.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I have no question of that. Once we get to Valentine, we’ll have another body on our side.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Cloud had gotten used to seeing Sephiroth around him while knowing that he wasn’t truly there since going into the Shinra mansion. He couldn’t help but to think it was a pretty neat power that Sephiroth could just make him see him right there even if he wasn’t and that they could converse through thoughts and feelings. He could tell that since then, Sephiroth seemed less alone. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He’d been laying in his bed as the blizzard howled outside, shaking his window. He’d bundled up a bit and was reading one of his beaten up and well-read comic books. He found it frustrating that the only store in town rarely got any of them and most of them had been sent to him from his aunt in Kalm. It bothered him a little that she suddenly stopped writing his mother and no longer was sending presents for birthdays and Solstice a few years ago. He still read the comics he did have and since meeting Sephiroth himself, he’d done his best to hide just how much of a fanboy he really was. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He felt another mind in the distance, too far to do more than sense its approach. As soon as he picked up that sensation, Sephiroth was suddenly standing next to him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>‘Block it. That’s the imposter. It will do nothing but lie to you,’ Sephiroth warned in his head, ‘even if it comes off as honest, it is all lies.’</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He nodded as he shielded his mind as Sephiroth had taught him as he watched his idol turned friend take in the surroundings with mild amusement. His eyes even took in the comic he’d been reading. He’d expected Sephiroth to be awkward or embarrassed, but instead there was just mild amusement. It wasn’t exactly a secret that he’d idolized the man and looked up to him as a hero. Now, he merely looked up to him mostly due to their height difference.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I must have forgotten that they made comic books about me,” Sephiroth murmured with amusement as the approaching mind became nearer and Cloud could pick up the invitation to form a connection. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sephiroth disappeared from his room and his mind, clearly to communicate with the fake Sephiroth. He considered how awful the fake would have to be to do such a thing since Sephiroth had been rather kind with him, training him so that he would make it into SOLDIER come spring, and even making it so that they had the mental connection with each other. If anything, Sephiroth had given him so many wonderful gifts and only expected his assistance in return.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Before he could get a page further, Sephiroth reappeared. His eyes were blazing green with mako, his lips pulled back in clear fury. He’d never seen the man show this much emotion before. Upon close inspection, he could see the other man shaking.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What’s wrong?” he asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It insulted the being who I consider my mother due to the fact that I carry her cells,” Sephiroth growled as he glared in the direction that Cloud could only assume was where the imposter was coming from.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Now that ain’t right,” Cloud said, feeling his own anger welling up, “you don’t go around insulting people’s mothers and get away with it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sephiroth’s expression softened with what Cloud assumed was warmth and affection before saying, “I appreciate the sentiment and your anger in my defense.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So what are we going to do about the imposter being in Nibelheim?” Cloud asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We’ll need to figure out what they’re here for,” Sephiroth said with a small smile, “I’m certain you could ingratiate yourself with the imposter and pull information from him with your charm. If you can pretend that you’ve never met me and act as you would seeing your idol for the first time.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ll do it,” Cloud said with a nod. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sephiroth didn’t know if all the attention he got was because of his celebrity status, the fact that he wasn’t wearing his iconic outfit that Shinra likes to make everyone think he wears all the time, or the fact that two strangers clearly braved an early season blizzard to reach the inn rather than turning back. Whatever the reason, he tried to ignore the stares of the few village inhabitants who were hanging around the tavern area. He wondered if anyone did even recognize him since he was wearing a knit cap and tinted goggles to counteract the risk of snow blindness.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He was rather glad that he followed his usual instincts to prepare for worst case scenarios. If only because those seemed to have a higher chance of happening.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What can I get ya?” the innkeeper said with a smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“A room with two beds for the next while. I don’t know how long we’re going to be around,” Veld explained with a polite enough smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“By the looks of things, at least a week,” the innkeeper said, “that’ll be how long it’ll take for most things to get shoveled out. Blizzards ‘round these parts don’t come alone. They always bring friends.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Something’s on your mind, kid,” Veld said as the two of them settled into their room at the inn.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He’d been frowning as his mind picked apart details he’d gotten over hearing Ami discuss the situation three times over at this point. The third time had actually included names and details. Specifically that the village Cloud Strife was or in this case, is from was in fact Nibelheim. The same village he’d been born in. The same village so close to Jenova’s main body.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Come to me, my son. Become one with me. Become whole. I yearn for your embrace, my son.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘I am not your son. I was born of Lucrecia Crescent.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“The other me is nearby and there’s the likelihood that so is Cloud Strife. From what Ami said about his obsession, the child is in danger and may not even realize,” Sephiroth said with a frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘And yet you have me within you, as a child would. As my child would. My son. It’s been so long.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘And what would you do to me? Take my mind over? Turn me into your puppet?’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That does pose a threat, considering that in Miss Anderson’s tale, he becomes able to defeat you,” Veld said with a frown, “if he’s working on their side, he can be a danger to us once he reaches his potential.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Share. I would share.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Share what?’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Memories. Knowledge. Destiny. Who you see as your enemy need not be. You have a family, Sephiroth. I am your family as are all who have my gift. They are your beautiful siblings.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Agreed, but it could also work to our favor if he’s on their side,” he said with a smile, “my studies on strategy and tactics leads me to believe that a known mole is more useful alive than dead.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘I must decline your invitation.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘I am patient.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Until they have reached the point that they’re no longer worth keeping around,” Veld said with a nod.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : : .</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Author’s Note: 3/16/21</p><p>Well, this was hard to write but only because I kept screaming at Evil!Seph. This is too evil and yet sounds exactly like something he’d do. He’s after one of his victory conditions, after all. </p><p>Once the first Evil!Seph and Cloud scene happened, I just know this is going to be a horribly painful trainwreck. The kid’s going to get hurt and he’s done nothing wrong but unknowingly listen to the absolute worst person he could.</p><p>I am sorry if you guys are screaming at your screens too. I’ve even wondered whether I’m even a good person because of all the things going on in this story, lol.</p><p>Laters!<br/>~Gregora</p><p>Next Time on BtV: Veld and Sephiroth get a tour by a starstruck teenaged boy named Cloud who leads them into the mansion. Vincent finds himself host to the two most annoying visitors he’s ever had.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0048"><h2>48. Betrayal at the Mansion on the Hill</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Veld and Sephiroth get a tour by a starstruck teenaged boy named Cloud who leads them into the mansion. Vincent finds himself host to the two most annoying visitors he’s ever had.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Disclaimer: I don’t own squat except for Ami. I’m just playing in Square-Enix’s sandbox, yo. Also, I need feedback and lots of since I know I’m not perfect and if things don’t mesh or match up, I’d like to know how to fix it. Anyways, on with the story!</p><p>Trigger Warning: references to attempted suicide, murder, death, violence</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Chapter Forty-Five</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sephiroth was far from surprised at learning that the local inkeep was correct about the seasonal weather patterns as two other blizzards had blown in with only an hour’s daylight between them. Which had meant that he and Veld had spent two days inside their room and the main floor of the inn which served as a local watering hole of sorts. To Sephiroth, it was just fine as it meant that the locals were likely to have tongues loosened by liquor and would share some goings on. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Over the course of the first day, he’d learned that there were cloaked figures which haunted the village at night and that people tended to go missing when wandering off alone. This had caused the villagers to take up a defensive measure of what he’d heard others refer to as the ‘buddy system’, meaning no one went alone outside. Which he had to admit was a sound strategy as a result of the village’s issue. The problem he could tease out was that there was a near certainty that all this was due to the other Sephiroth’s actions. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The other rumor he’d heard was that there was a family who seemed to be exempt from this threat, a single mother and her son. The villagers refused to speak their names, but sounded suspicious as if one or the other or both were able to control the cloaked figures or had something special protecting them but never mentioned what it was. Judging by how they spoke of the boy, it sounded like he’d already been an outcast before and the current events just made things worse. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He mused that the boy likely had just a lonely life as his when he initially thought that an adolescent chocobo had walked in until he realized that that he was seeing wasn’t feathers but hair and it was attached to what looked to be a young boy. Or a very short teenager. Who stopped in his tracks and stared at him in awe. To most, it looked genuine, but he’d been around Genesis far too much to know when someone was merely pretending.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There was just something in the boy’s eyes that gave it away, the tenseness of the expression. Also, the boy didn’t seem to have as much skill in hiding his emotions over the mental connection as Ami did. He could feel the boy’s hostility and outrage toward him, likely due to whatever his counterpart told him. Ami had warned them all that his counterpart was manipulative and charismatic. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I can’t believe it’s you! I heard that there were some people wanting a tour guide, but I didn’t think it would be you, sir!” the boy exclaimed excitedly, “I’m hoping to attend the spring’s SOLDIER entrance exams, sir.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I wish you luck,” he said as he decided that it was best to keep moles nearby, “if you’re willing to guide us to the manor that Shinra owns, I could give you some idea as to what to prepare yourself for during the exams.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Would you?” the boy asked in awe, getting a nod from him before saying, “thank you, Sephiroth, sir.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Do you believe that the weather will be conducive to our trip to the Shinra manor in two hours?” he asked, deciding to give the kid a little leeway but not going to rely on the kid’s answer beyond giving the kid a timeframe in which to expect to play tour guide.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I believe so, if you don’t mind dealing with the drifts,” the kid said with an excited grin.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Two hours later, Sephiroth found himself dealing with knee high snow and drifts almost up to his belt. Fortunately, he had packed snow gear including proper outerwear to deal with such things. Apparently, so had Veld. Cloud, to his luck, had been properly outfitted that he had specialized boots which distributed his weight enough that he could walk on top of the snow, putting him close to eye height with Sephiroth himself.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So,” the kid said, a little uneasily and rather awkwardly, “what exactly is there that you’re after?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Just checking up on the employees there,” Veld said easily, “see how they’re holding up, ascertain if they’re prepared and stocked for the winter.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Bit late in the year for all that, if you ask me,” Cloud commented.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“The company doesn’t tend to consider weather patterns outside Midgar when planning sometimes,” Sephiroth said, remembering many a mission which proved that statement to be absolutely true.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sides, there’s really no employees there anyways,” Cloud said with a shrug, “I’ve been there a few times. It’s pretty abandoned.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What were you doing inside Shinra company property?” Veld asked suspiciously.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sephiroth had a few ideas and none of them good. With the looks the kid was getting, he was likely bullied, so the manor which had been abandoned for some time likely scared the bullies away. Also there was the fact that the kid had received some of the same treatments Ami had, considering that he was definitely reading off as being the same. Then there was the information that the basement had been used in another timeline as the lab where the clones were created, and was likely in the process of being created. The same clones which matched the description as those who haunt the streets of Nibelheim at night. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hiding from bullies. Fighting back has the tendency of making them fight harder next time,” Cloud said quietly before adding, “also the mayor is looking for excuses to consider me a public menace following… a mistake I made.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sephiroth hid his frown deep within, noticing another potential reason why his alternate future self would have gotten attached to Cloud. Assuming that there was a shred of himself in the other man that hadn’t been corrupted, subsumed, or otherwise was removed. It was just too difficult to tease out the truth of what happened without becoming that monster he had seen. The monster which had shaken Ami so completely with the siege that nearly got herself and Miss Gainsborough killed. He hadn’t seen her so overcome with guilt and self-doubt before and he knew that he nearly was overcome by his instincts which made him want to drown out such emotions within her with something else. But instead, he’d held her throughout that night, resisting the urge to do things they were better off not doing. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And what was this mistake of yours, if you don’t mind my asking?” Veld asked pleasantly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I allowed a friend of mine to get hurt. We fell off a bridge and she got so injured that she was in a coma for a week and it was my fault. If I’d grabbed her or stopped her from going…” the kid said quietly, clenching his hands into tight fists.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“People make mistakes, kid,” Veld said gently, “we can’t prevent making mistakes because we’re not all perfect and we don’t always know the full consequences of our actions until after. What we can do is learn from our mistakes and do our best to not make those same mistakes next time and repair the damage best we can.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He could only nod in agreement, watching the kid take in Veld’s words, likely because they hadn’t been his. This was proving to be quite the situation which he felt as if he didn’t have much to contribute since his training had been lacking in regards to dealing with other people off of the battlefield, so he remained quiet and simply observed. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I suppose,” the kid admitted, “but it’s so difficult when everyone holds it over me. I just… want to prove that I’m more than just the one who nearly got the Mayor’s daughter killed.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sometimes, the things that are worth the most are also the most difficult to obtain,” Veld stated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>What was it that he wanted to obtain? Certainly victory over their enemies. He allowed himself to imagine what he wanted at the end of this battle, this war he’d found himself in. He imagined walking into a residence, having secured victory, and seeing Ami smile and grin at him moments before feeling her arms around him. Feeling peace and comfort in her arms, knowing that they both were free. Free to live without Hojo, without his counterpart, and without the threat of Jenova. Free to finally show his true emotions without the threat of Hojo learning that and further training him to hide his emotions. Free to take her out on actual dates, where they could stroll together out in the open. Free to do all the things he desired to do but couldn’t because of Hojo.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Yes, this was what he wanted to obtain. And it was his prize to claim, since he was certain that she would indeed wrap her arms around him and give him that warm smile. And that was the very least he wanted other than for both of them to be free to live as they wished without the specter of Hojo. He’d never seen what Ami was like without the threat of Hojo. She’d pushed him to arm’s length in Wutai once and it had set off something in him that he’d never knew he had, and had done so because of the threat of Hojo. Would she continue to push him away? Or would she do the opposite and throw herself into his arms? Oh, he hoped for just that. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He found himself shaking himself free of the daydreams that had grabbed his attention and focus - something highly dangerous considering the fact that his counterpart was nearby.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘I never realized I used to be so pathetic. If you want her, you could just take her and kill Hojo. Instead you’re pining pathetically like a lovestruck puppy.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘I suppose you’re taking that shot because it was the only clear one you could see. Call me pathetic if you wish, the words of madmen matters not. What words do the heartless have on matters that are beyond their capability to understand?’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘I do have a heart. Not like someone as puny as you currently are would understand.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Nor do I wish to.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Is that it?” Veld asked, motioning to what looked to be the largest building he’d seen in the village, a multiple story affair with a tower. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yep,” Cloud said, “I should probably run along since I don’t think I’m allowed to enter Shinra company property.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Smart boy,” Veld said with some affection before motioning at him to follow, “mind leading the way?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He merely nodded as it was a wise decision for him to take point so as to protect the elder unenhanced Turk from attack. He also understood that Veld was likely to tire before him and both of them had walked side by side rather in single file. He trudged on ahead, knowing that he was blazing an easier path for Veld to follow.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m surprised you haven’t made any quips about my age or that I’m unenhanced, like so many younger SOLDIERs I’ve worked with,” Veld commented as they were halfway to the manor.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I have far more respect for the Turks and of your station to utter such comments,” he responded lightly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Nice to know that someone in SOLDIER does,” Veld commented back from behind him, “it’s so pleasant when one of you SOLDIER kids actually know how to treat your elders.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I believed you were averse to comments concerning your advanced age.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Only if you don’t mind the same, whippersnapper.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Perhaps I should increase my distance due to the potential that you may choose to brandish a cane,” he said, making a subtle show of moving slightly quicker in the snow before reaching the covered front porch.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You won’t have to worry about that possibility. That’s reserved exclusively for when kids trespass onto my lawn.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He saw Veld’s expression harden as they shook off the snow and cleared the snow from their boots before walking in through the front door into the foyer. Veld motioned to him to go up the stairs and he nodded in acknowledgement before walking ahead. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He scanned the foyer, seeing that it was dark and appeared as clean as he expected if Shinra had been using the building. He couldn’t perceive any threats, but he was on high alert as he strode into the foyer. What he could perceive was that there was a musty smell, like the area had been swept and dusted but hadn’t had any cleaning agents used on it in a long time.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He frowned as he moved onto the first step, hearing it creak underfoot. If there were any of the clones in the area, he was willing to bet that they heard that. And if the clones were of the same quality as what was used at the siege the previous week, he hoped that they heard. He continued up the creaky stairs, resisting the urge to stomp. After all, if there were clones in the area, his counterpart already knew he was in the building anyways. There was no chance for them to operate under the cover of stealth.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>At the top of the stairs, he thought back to their planning session where they were planning for the excursion. He followed the directions that Veld gave him, which had apparently come from Ami. He strode through the first door he saw once he reached the eastern wing which did, in fact, have another room attached. Even if he hadn’t been told to look for a secret door, he would have found it due to how obvious it was. He merely shook his head before slicing open the door with Masamune, not wanting to bother trying to figure out how to open the door. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>In times where one couldn’t rely on the element of surprise, sometimes one had to rely on speed. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The destroyed door had revealed a stairway going down and strode his way down, not bothering to conceal his presence. He’d been told that there was a door near the library which would contain coffins and that he was looking for a locked coffin. He raised an eyebrow as he saw the room.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Now I understand what she meant about needing to ‘drag Vincent out of his coffin kicking and screaming’,” Veld muttered with amusement before glancing his way, “should I deal with the lock or will you?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It may prove to be more advantageous if you kept an eye out. In confined quarters like the corridor outside, Masamune will be more of a hindrance than a benefit,” Sephiroth said with a slight frown, already forming a plan to deal with the lock.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He calculated angles and trajectories for a moment before cutting the side where the lock was secured, revealing that he’d managed to cut a tiny bit into the coffin. The coffin’s not entirely dead inhabitant clearly took offense at having his coffin cut into and leaped into a standing position, pointing a triple-barreled revolver at him, dressed entirely in black and red with a golden metallic gauntlet and coverings on his feet.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Who are yo--” the man said in a demanding manner as he clearly took in his appearance. “Is your name Sephiroth, by any chance?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Vinnie,” Veld said in greeting, causing the man in red and black to visibly flinch.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You know I absolutely hate that name,” the man said with a tired sigh, lowering his revolver.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And I hate the fact that you’ve been gone for going on twenty-one years. How much of that did you spend in that coffin?” Veld asked with a frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“The majority, I have to admit,” the man said with a deep frown before letting out a sigh, “what are the two of you doing here?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Kid’s with me,” Veld said, “and I need my partner back. And for you to take a look at the contents of this folder.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Veld pulled out the folder from within his coat and handed it over. The man, whom he was certain was Vincent, looked over the contents with a deepening frown and more than a little pained fury. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Does anyone know the contents of this folder?” Vincent asked, handing the folder back.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Just the two of us,” Veld said with a grim smile before looking at him, “mind making the folder go away?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He merely nodded as he accepted the folder from Veld and used a careful application of firaga to ensure that the folder became nothing but ashes. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m going to need my partner back. Some of us within the Company are putting together a team to respond to the threat that Hojo’s many messes and lack of ethics have caused,” Veld stated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And you’re on this team?” Vincent asked Sephiroth with clear caution.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“There’s a lot of the situation you don’t know, Vincent,” Veld said with a frown as Sephiroth heard unsteady footsteps approach.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t think he’s going to let us stay and chat for very much longer,” Sephiroth said with a frown before getting into position.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He could hear them come. Groaning, muttering, their steps awkward. At least until he knew that his counterpart was piloting them. Then their gait matched his. They all held back except for one, who approached with a cruel smirk on his face. He did his best to hide his immediate instinctual reaction to the monster who looked like him, save for the hair. He thought it was almost amusing in a very dark sense that something his captors had done to try to shatter his sense of self and his willpower was something that created distance from his counterpart.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So this is what you were after? One of Hojo’s failed experiments?” his dark reflection almost sneered in that low, gentle, slithering voice.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And I suppose you’re here to do what, exactly? To gloat that you’ve got us cornered and easy to pick off?” Sephiroth asked with some amusement.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“The Turks you’ve got are unimportant to my plan and are best removed while they’re a minimal threat,” the other Sephiroth said, “as for you, I was hoping that you’d follow in my footsteps, go down the same path I did but then that troublesome girl showed up. I wonder how many of my clones it would take to kill the Turks and then capture you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sephiroth merely gave the other Sephiroth a small smile before saying, “I don’t believe you’ve got enough to capture me, let alone take down these two Turks.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Kid speaks a big game,” Vincent stated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, he does more than that,” Veld said before pulling out a large pistol he’d been hiding on his person, one which he knew was made for mako enhanced individuals and tossed the gun to him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He caught it in one hand and held the gun in his right hand and fired at his darker self piloting a clone body, creating a neat hole in the center of the clone’s forehead.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He’s piloting clone bodies,” Sephiroth stated, “a single shot to the brain kills them as if they’re unenhanced.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Especially the new bullet type,” Veld added with a slight smirk as the three of them lined up their shots and opened fire.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He’s not you,” Vincent stated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He’s technically me, but from a future where I fell victim to Hojo’s deceit. He went back in time to try to manipulate the situation into a victory,” Sephiroth explained.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We can catch up on less pertinent details afterward,” Veld stated, “how many more do you sense, kid?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ten more. I can’t sense their physical location other than being in range, which usually means they’re not likely to jump on us,” he explained once the last of the mob fell and was claimed by a darker Lifestream.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“My concern is that Ami mentioned that in the story she’s familiar with, Hojo was the one who created the clones,” Sephiroth said with a frown as he led the way out of the library, “we’ll need to figure out if that’s the case and we’re going to need to deal with the mansion itself.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We don’t have the resources to deal with Jenova,” Veld said with a frown as he followed behind him, “and if we do anything to the mansion, Hojo is likely to move Jenova to Headquarters.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Which puts it close but also possibly too close,” he said with a frown as he entered the lab.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The barest flickers of memory came to life as he saw the lab, remembering that one of his nightmares had taken place in this lab. He looked about before he heard the click of high heels against the floor before the owner of the heels appeared. She turned around and stared at the group of them. He found his mouth becoming parched like the wastes outside of Midgar as he heard Vincent speak.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Lucrecia?” Vincent asked in awe.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>To Sephiroth, it was like looking at the picture he had of her made manifest. She looked exactly as she did twenty years ago. Her eyes seemed to be dancing between him and Vincent before she approached him, likely because he was closer.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sephiroth? How? I thought…” she spoke in clear awe.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He’s from a potential future. One we’re trying to re-write,” he explained quietly, “mother.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He used to pretend, to dream when he was but a child, of how it would be like if he could ever meet his mother, the mother whom he’d been told died in childbirth. And then he’d been told the truth, that Jenova never gave birth to him, but a human woman named Lucrecia Crescent. He’d been uncertain if she was alive or not until that moment. Not until he saw her and heard her voice. If he held a tiny spark of who he was as a child within him, he knew that the boy would have been crying. But he wasn’t a boy anymore, but Shinra’s “Silver General” and “Hero of Wutai”. And that meant that he didn’t cry.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>At least not loudly. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He watched as she approached him until they practically stood toe to toe and he leaned down so she didn’t need to crane her neck and see his face properly. He watched her as she reached out to touch his face hesitantly. Likely because she was uncertain since she likely had been dealing with his insane potential future self. He felt the warmth of her hand against the planes of his cheeks and closed his eyes as he leaned into the touch. He couldn’t help but to make a small sound when she pulled her hand away. Before he could do anything more, he felt her arms wrap around him in a hug.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He leaned into the hug, holding her as close and as tightly as he dared. He didn’t want to harm her, didn’t want to break or crush her body by hugging her too tightly. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m not fragile, Sephiroth. I’ve tried to kill myself in the past and it never took,” she admitted quietly, “you can hug me as tight as you can.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He let out a sigh before hugging her slightly tightly and slowly increasing in strength as he paid attention to any signs of discomfort or pain. Instead, he found himself holding her as tightly as he wanted and let out another sigh, but this of contentment. His childhood fantasy had been accomplished. He’d never felt this emotion this strongly before, one which was warm and yet also… not. There was something painful about this warm emotion, this happiness. And there was something about this emotion which summoned up tears which fell uncontrollably, which he hid by resting his head against Lucrecia’s - no, his Mother’s - shoulder. He felt her hands move to stroke his back reassuringly, like he’d felt before when he was comforted by others.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was a precious moment and he knew that it was uniquely his. It was a moment that his counterpart never had. Another of many that created a difference between him and the other. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hojo never allowed me to hold you after you were born,” she said quietly, “I’m thankful that I can now. If only I were able to have fought Hojo more or found a way to steal you away. Oh, you must hate me.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I can’t hate you for something you clearly had no control over, Mother,” he said quietly, “besides, I can’t help but to think that all the years, all the things Hojo did to me, it’s almost worth it. Between the friends I have and getting to meet you… I can’t feel more than what I’m fairly certain is happiness.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You don’t know your own emotions?” Vincent asked quietly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Can we wrap it up? I’ve got a Gelnika landing nearby in a couple of hours,” Veld stated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That made Sephiroth detach from Lucrecia rather quickly and turned to Veld, his mind making all the mental connections. The Gelnika was likely the same one that his friends were either going to be on or shortly would be on.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You know that they’re not going to be fond of us having been here,” Sephiroth said with a frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I intend to take full responsibility,” Veld said with a nod, “and I asked that the Gelnika land for a few hours so that we can try to deal with Jenova with Zack and Ami.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And you know my opinion on opening Ami to that kind of danger,” he said with a frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You can’t protect her from everything nor would she want you to,” Veld said with a sigh, shaking his head before looking over at Vincent, “we’re blowing this popsicle stand up. Know of any good, strategic locations for explosives?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He saw the slowly unfolding grin on Vincent’s face. He glanced over and saw that even his mother seemed to like that idea. Sephiroth contemplated if their reactions were due to an appreciation of explosives or if it was entirely because of the quality of memories the manor held for everyone. He hoped it was the latter, if only because he didn’t want to question if he had a hidden explosive personality lying in wait to be discovered. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : : .</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Author’s Note: 3/22/21</p><p>Well, this took some time to really get going, lol. Everything got going in my brain when my brain was like “yeah, what if Lucrecia is involved?” and then...feels. </p><p>Also, just the mental image of Veld, Vincent, and Sephiroth dealing with an equivalent of a Zombie mob just seems so badass to me, lol. </p><p>And yes, the title for this chapter was taken from a board game which I enjoyed playing before the plague.</p><p>Laters!<br/>~Gregora</p><p>Next Time on BtV: It’s time for a barbecue, Nibelheim style! And what exactly was Lucrecia up to? Sephiroth finds himself in the middle of an interesting conversation that he has absolutely no idea how to navigate!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0049"><h2>49. So Much Talking, So Little Plot</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>What exactly was Lucrecia up to? Sephiroth finds himself in the middle of an interesting conversation that he has absolutely no idea how to navigate!</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Disclaimer: I don’t own squat except for Ami. I’m just playing in Square-Enix’s sandbox, yo. Also, I need feedback and lots of since I know I’m not perfect and if things don’t mesh or match up, I’d like to know how to fix it. Anyways, on with the story!</p><p>Trigger Warning: discussions of the effects of scientific experimentation, discussion of child abuse, hints of rape/non-con touching, and whatever else Hojo has done.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Chapter Forty-Six</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Explosives weren’t something Sephiroth was trained in but thanks to Hojo’s training methods, he was trained to be a quick study. Veld took off the backpack he’d been wearing and started to pull out explosives, wires, and the remote detonators and between all four of them, had rigged the entirety of the basement to go off. He felt his PHS vibrate and took a glance.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>[14:49] Ami: You’re really in Nibelheim? I hope you grabbed Vincent and the Odin materia before you leave and/or blow the mansion up.</b>
</p><p>
  <b>[14:50] Sephiroth: Where is the Odin materia?</b>
</p><p>
  <b>[14:52] Ami: There should be a safe on the second floor, inside is a monster that will attack and the Odin materia. Combination in game was r36, l10, r59, l97. </b>
</p><p>
  <b>[14:52] Ami: Did not memorize numbers, had note for it on my phone from my last playthrough.</b>
</p><p>
  <b>[14:53] Sephiroth: I will inform you once I have it in hand.</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Good news, kid?” Veld asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Apparently, there’s a safe on the second floor which may hold a monster and a rare materia,” he said, “I’m going to investigate.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You should have someone be your backup,” Vincent stated, “as you’ve said, your main weapon has issues with close quarters.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I appreciate and accept your offer, Mister Valentine,” he responded, knowing what Veld’s plan was.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Veld didn’t need to tell him that he was to pretend to not know the results of the genetic comparison in relation to Vincent, it was clear to him. He motioned towards the exit before leading the way out of the lab and towards the stairs, only stopping at the door leading to the library.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He looked into that room for a moment. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“So in the story, Seph spends days in the basement, obsessively reading everything he could find...”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A cold chill tingled up and down his back. If not for Ami, in two years or so, that room would have been where who he was as a person had died. Where, a similar version of himself had died and become the monster he was facing. And most of all of that were lies. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Why did we stop?” Vincent asked quietly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“In another chain of events, who I am as a person died in there. And became the monster we’re fighting. I guess, in a way, I’m paying my respects for a moment to a version of me that died in pain and alone thanks to what I know are Hojo’s lies,” he said quietly before starting to walk towards the stairs, “and trying hard not to see myself going that same way had it not been for someone telling me of my true mother.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What do you mean?” Vincent asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I remembered learning of the concept of mothers from one of Hojo’s assistants when I was a very young child. I asked everyone about my mother, who she was and why she wasn’t around. Hojo was incensed and to make me give up my inquiries, he told me that her name was Jenova and she had died in childbirth and she never told anyone who my father was,” he answered quietly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“How old were you at the time?” Vincent asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t even know my current age, but I estimate that I might have been four or five based on the fact that my training in the labs was still pleasant compared to what it became.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Training?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I was trained in strategy, combat, leadership, and some field medicine up until I joined SOLDIER before my voice started to crack. I was sent to the war in Wutai immediately after joining and within months, I was declared a war hero. This was about six years ago.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You weren’t allowed around anyone? Played games?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I was allowed to interact with other children who were brought into the labs, but they slowly disappeared over time. I was told that they weren’t good enough and that I should be glad that I continued to show promise. As for play, Hojo considered anything not associated with my purpose or studies to be frivolous and not worth my time, energy, and/or effort. If I ever showed any amount of attachment to anyone in the labs, they were removed. I… was alone for the most part of my time in the labs.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sephiroth could hear the sound of the metal plates of Vincent’s gauntlet scrape against each other, a sound he expected to hear if the man was clenching his hand. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hojo is a dead man walking,” Vincent stated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And he continues to walk because he has made himself indispensable. We have yet to ascertain whether he is being truthful or if it’s another of his deceits when he informed me that my biology has been altered so severely that his treatments are what keeps me alive. However, if I ever reach the point that I would rather see him die and go through a slow and likely painful death rather than living another day under his threat, I will gladly inform you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Lucrecia could help you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Up until we entered the lab, she was assisting my other self. Please forgive me for not fully trusting her quite yet,” he said quietly once they were far away from unenhanced ears.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And yet you hugged her.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He hesitated and let out the smallest of sighs, “I allowed myself to fulfil a frivolous dream I once had as a child in Hojo’s lab. To be in my mother’s arms.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Not frivolous. Beautiful,” Vincent chided.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He resumed walking as he said, “she is still an unknown element until we find out precisely what she was doing or why she was working with my other self.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What do we know about him?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He’s capable of using puppets created with my cells. I can also take control of them, but it requires me to fight him and it would clearly be a fight which would likely be a stalemate in the best case scenario. He also has three pawns called the Remnants which, when exposed to pure Jenova cells, will become a host body for him. He’s using them in situations where his puppets are too problematic as well as a contingency if he fails to break my will and take my body.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Disadvantageous for you to be here.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Especially considering that the current hypothesis is that the other me is under Jenova’s control and the main body is in the Mt. Nibel reactor. Veld believed that the circumstances are different enough that I should be able to fight them all off.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Overconfidence will pave the way to your demise if you don’t exercise caution.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And I’m not exercising caution by having you watch my back?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Walking into the den of your enemies, where another version of you fell is quite the example of overconfidence.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That would be the case if I wasn’t aware of how different I am from the man who fell in that basement. He’d lost everything and was pushed to the point of madness. If anything, I’ve gained more than he ever had,” Sephiroth said, giving Vincent a small smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After all, he knew that his other self never had Ami, but he did. Ami who had every reason to fear him, to be intimidated by him, but had only shown him warmth, kindness, compassion, and comfort and had apparently found and pulled out the same from himself, to his own surprise. She had managed to find parts of him that he never knew existed within him - parts which he recognized as wholly human. Parts that she had somehow melded into his heart and psyche. Parts which had changed him from what he’d been only a scant few months ago. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He never knew or cared to acknowledge that he’d been so fragmented, so shattered before Ami had come barreling into his life and started to put him together like a puzzle. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And there was nothing he could do for her in return. Nothing which matched how precious she was, how much he appreciated being put together. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Every strength can be used against you and every weakness can be that which can protect you. Unfortunately, love is both and tends to blind and consume and render us fools if one isn’t careful,” Vincent said quietly, his face hidden behind his high collar of his worn cloak.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Speaking from experience?” Sephiroth asked, giving Vincent a glance, “and what makes you think I’m in love?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Your reaction when Veld said he was bringing in someone named Ami. Your body language screamed your desire to protect them. Your tone of voice when you’re clearly thinking of them. It’s clear to anyone trained in reading people,” Vincent stated quietly, “and yes, I was speaking from experience. My… affections led me to my greatest failure and if I fail at protecting you yet again… I don’t know if I will ever atone for that sin on top of my other.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I never understood why others put so much weight on failure when they don’t have the threat of being dragged to Hojo’s lab and having him analyze you to find what he thinks is the root cause of the failure and having parts of you removed to make you more perfect in his eyes,” he responded quietly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What. Has. He. Done. To. You?” Vincent all but growled in clear anger, but not focused on him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ve been vivisected once a year to allow him to track my growth. He’s opened up my skull and collected samples three times. He would have done so on a more regular basis but he’s been overruled by the rest of the Board and the President out of concern that doing so might have a deleterious effect on my capability to discharge my duties. Until I joined SOLDIER, he built up my pain tolerance, tested various compounds on me, and ensured that when I joined SOLDIER before my voice broke I would be capable of meeting performance standards expected of me. Since then, I report to Hojo for my quarterly physical and treatments where he collects every type of cell from me that he could without opening up my skull. Blood, bone, liver, lung, muscle, and sperm. I… I am surrounded by his spies in Midgar, either wittingly or not, where outside of a few locations, my behavior is constantly monitored and if I exhibit any behavior or failure…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And he likely has you conditioned to prevent you from attacking him,” Vincent stated quietly, “no one should have to live through what you have. I see now the full scope of my sin of not having been able to save you and your mother from that madman.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You could have saved me after,” he said quietly, “I spent a lot of time alone in my cell in the labs. Then I was assigned to fight in the war in Wutai. You had opportunities outside the once. And yet you failed to take advantage of those opportunities. I do not blame you for your initial failure, but for your reaction to your failure. That is what you should consider a sin from my perspective.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You are not angry at my initial failure,” Vincent stated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Just the fact that you said you spent much of the last twenty years in that coffin. I can’t see how hiding away would make up for a mistake or a failure,” Sephiroth stated as they reached a room with a safe and gave Vincent a glance.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Vincent hung back as he approached and used the combination Ami had given him. He was flung back by the force of the door of the safe opening and the emergence of the monster. It towered above the two of them, appearing as if two monsters were conjoined. He didn’t give the monster an opportunity to attack and sliced through it with the Masamune. He watched as the purple half took over the red half before the monster was claimed by the Lifestream.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He drew close to the safe and found the red colored summon materia and placed it in a safe pocket for now. He was certain that Genesis would want to take a good look at it, if not keep it for himself.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That would have given most pause,” Vincent stated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It is not the first time I’ve defeated that which would have that effect on most,” Sephiroth responded, rolling his shoulders before heading back to the basement.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Veld waited until he was quite certain that the kid and Vincent were well outside of earshot before speaking to Lucrecia. He found it rather suspicious how the disgraced and supposedly dead scientist was working for their enemy and had quickly shifted her allegiance so quickly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Mind if I ask you some questions, Miss Crescent?” he asked gently, watching her go back towards some of the computer terminals.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Certainly,” she responded quietly, giving him her full attention.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Her body language was quite sorrowful and full of obvious guilt, like a heavy weight was on her. Her voice wavered, uncertain and almost sad.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Exactly what do you know of the man you were working with?” Veld asked quietly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Just that he is Sephiroth, my son,” she said quietly, “that I know what he intends to do. He had me create these clones of his so that he has an army to take over this planet. Your arrival has made me adjust my plans. I’ve encoded a sort of fail safe into the S-cells implanted within them so that when a specific set of conditions are met, the clones’ S-cells become unstable and they immediately die. I was hoping to activate the fail safe at the last moment and watch as he fails at the last moment, knowing that his reaction will be violent and focused on me. I deserve much worse than that.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Veld knew that Lucrecia wasn’t trained like a Turk and based on Vincent’s reports, wore her emotions on her sleeve. If this tired and regretful woman was the same, her body language and verbal tone told him that she was being honest and truthful - that she had been working to undermine and betray the other Sephiroth, not knowing that a version of her son wasn’t out to do anything more than hopefully have a peaceful, quiet life. At least one which didn’t involve further torture by Hojo and being seen as company property.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He’d seen how the kid was like at the meeting that night. The poor kid was doing his best to focus on the meeting but his eyes kept going back to Ami. And she was almost as bad. And that wistful expression the kid had when they were walking to the mansion, as if the kid was contemplating something pleasant but was outside his grasp. Yeah, the kid had it rough and had fallen for the one person Hojo wanted him to have children with. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And that poor girl. So scared of hurting him, knowing that he had it bad for her. And so obviously head over heels for the kid. And yet, he could just see those two being so cute together if only Hojo weren’t a shadow looming over them both.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>At least he raised Rufus well and knew he could trust that kid to look out for the people who needed to be looked out for. He just hadn’t expected to introduce Rufus to Shinra’s ugly underbelly until after he became Vice President and had planned on it being a more gentler transition. But now, Rufus had come face to face in the most blunt way exactly what his father had been up to these last few decades and the horrors had been enabled under the senior’s leadership. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Once we know that you’re trustworthy, we could use your experience. We don’t quite know or understand what Hojo has done with your son, specifically the version that’s still sane,” Veld said with a frown, “we wish to ascertain what Hojo has done as well as whether Sephiroth would survive in the case that Hojo meets an unfortunate end.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What do you mean?” Lucrecia asked, looking horrified at him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sephiroth has stated that Hojo has informed him that if anything were to happen to Hojo, Sephiroth’s death will follow shortly afterwards. We require the capabilities of a trusted scientist to verify this claim as well as analyze any samples we obtain to determine what it is that Hojo has been injecting into Sephiroth and whether it truly is to ensure his survival,” Veld said with a frown, “as it is, in the decades since mako enhancement was a part of SOLDIER, we’ve discovered that it has some unsavory effects on the human body. I don’t understand all of it since I’m not a scientist, but it all leads to an early grave as the body falls apart and organs fail. Many choose to die in the line of duty once they see the signs, nowadays.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“At what age does this start to show?” Lucrecia asked, still horrified.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“If my slight knowledge of biology is correct, the human body reaches its peak performance at around the age of thirty and then slowly declines. SOLDIERs have shown the start of this process in their early to mid thirties. Some of the older SOLDIERs who took the treatments in their thirties showed increased capability within the expected range but started to show symptoms of their bodies failing within five years. This in addition to the war has caused the company to drop the age restriction for SOLDIER recruitment down to fourteen, to allow up to two decades of service before their bodies start to fail,” Veld said with a frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And Sephiroth would have had mako treatments as early as Hojo could get them done,” Lucrecia said with a frown, “I’d be surprised if his first years weren’t spent mostly in a mako tube. When it was done, we... he likely didn't know the side effects on adults, let alone children. For all we know, he might be living on borrowed time.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He watched as Lucrecia looked to be on the verge of crying as she stared down at the computer terminal’s screen, refusing to make eye contact. Veld could read her body language like a book. She was truly saddened and scared, likely for the kid. He found himself hating Hojo more, for what he’d done to her and her child. As much as he’d like to kill Hojo, he knew that the only vengeance he had any rights to was vengeance for his partner.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Mind if I ask what you’re doing?” he asked, approaching Lucrecia.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Gathering what information Hojo keeps in the local database pertaining to all experiments done from December 1979 until the present day. Since this is his own personal database and encrypted in his usual manner, he likely believes that the database is secure. I’m moving the information onto discs for later access. Once that’s completed, I intend to send out the signal for the clones to lose cellular cohesion and then we can blow up this place,” Lucrecia stated with a slight smile. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Day two in Gongaga turned out to not be too bad, in Ami’s opinion. Especially since she found that the weapons dealer, a retired SOLDIER who retired entirely on account of missing a leg, was actually living in Gongaga itself. She chalked it up to the fact that Gongaga had yet to become mostly a crater. After pulling some rank from the two Firsts, they obtained the Keystone and immediately hid it in their bags. That meant that they were able to relax as much as they could in an insect infested jungle.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>[10:29] Ami: First mission objective complete.</b>
</p><p>
  <b>[10:30] Ami: Also Angeal has been adopted by Zack’s mom.</b>
</p><p>
  <b>[10:30] Ami: Does this mean we get to call Angeal “Puppy the Elder”?</b>
</p><p>
  <b>[10:31] Seph: Good work. Spend the rest of the day off. I do not understand your second message - has she filed the paperwork? I thought adoption only worked with those under the age of eighteen. Give Angeal nicknames at your own risk.</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Day three on the mission meant traveling through the jungle and this time, they had chocobos.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She hadn’t seen a real life chocobo before. It looked exactly how she thought it would look like but almost towered above her and had talons that made her well aware that she didn’t want to find herself trampled by the bird. She hoped that it was just like in the games where one just jumped on, she could guide it to where she wanted it to go.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Apparently, the bird didn’t like being jumped onto because she found herself half on the bird and half being dragged as it screeched, Warked, and Kwehed as she fought to not find herself on the ground. After what felt like an eternity of holding on for dear life and screaming for someone to help her, the bird calmed and she allowed herself to fall onto the ground on her rump.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And that’s being sent to Sephy,” Genesis said with a particularly gleeful expression and tone, “Little Sister’s first chocobo ride.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And that is exactly how not to ride a chocobo,” Angeal said with a tired sigh, “anything hurt?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Does my pride count?” Ami asked, feeling as though she was going to hear about this from Seph later.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She could practically see his reaction already. Slight smile, a raised eyebrow, maybe a slight chuckle and then the statement that she was going to take some remedial Chocobo riding lessons. Wherein she would find herself boosted onto the bird with a hand on her-- she shook that idea out of her head. When did she wanted him to touch her like that? No, that was not going to happen. She knew it likely had to do with her emotions toward the guy, which may or may not have anything to do with basic psychology and the fact that she had at least S-cells within her and likely J-cells too which might also be messing with her mind as well. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Angeal offered her a hand up with an amused smile as he said, “let’s do this the right way this time.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Getting on the chocobo correctly wasn’t that difficult once she understood how. Once all of them were on their chocobo, the travel through the jungle proved to be rather quick and almost painless and found themselves right where they were supposed to meet up with the Gelnika and it was already there, waiting for them. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was when they were boarding that they learned of the change in their travel plans.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Director Veld and SOLDIER First Class Sephiroth have changed the flight plans since they need SOLDIER Second Class Fair and SOLDIER Third Class Anderson on the ground in Nibelheim a-sap,” the pilot explained.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She was going to give Seph an earful once she could. Maybe an earful and a half. Being so stupid and dumb to go traipsing right into Nibelheim with no backup except for a Turk. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Angeal, can I ask you a question?” she asked as she felt the Gelnika take off.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Of course,” Angeal answered with a friendly smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Can you remind me again the penalty is for murdering one’s mentor and Commanding Officer?” she asked with a frown, remembering that she should at least inform Seph of the Odin materia location.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s assuming that there’s anything of him left once we get done with him, Little Sister,” Genesis said brightly from the seat behind her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We’re going to need to gear up for the cold at least,” Angeal warned as he looked through a plastic footlocker that hadn’t been there earlier, “it appears that there’s some thick coats set aside for our use over here.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was fortunate that the Gelnika was in fact, able to land outside Nibelheim. However, because it landed in a rather impressive snow drift, there was some serious question as to taking off. Angeal watched from the back of the group as Ami looked ready to fly out the Gelnika the moment the door was open. When the door opened, he watched as Zack pushed Ami aside and took a flying leap out of the Gelnika. Clearly, Zack had no idea how deep the snow was and after a moment of him flinging his arms wildly, managed to land face first into the deep snow.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ami let out a sigh as she stepped out into the snow and turned towards the town before letting out a screamed “You pasty ass idiotic moron!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He knew that this was definitely not going to be pleasant for anyone and left the Gelnika before Genesis, hearing Genesis mutter “f#$k this mess.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The whole situation was definitely not under his control. Which, if he was thinking about it, it was pretty much normal for his life. He watched as Ami stomped through the snow, approaching Sephiroth, who looked startled and definitely confused. Thankfully, Sephiroth appeared to have enough functioning brain cells to be dressed in what appeared to be a parka rather than his usual black leather duster.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Just what the absolute hell were you even thinking!?” Ami almost screeched as he saw the look of dread appearing on Sephiroth’s face as Veld and a man in red exchanged glances and took some subtle steps away from the First.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was then that Ami actually started to charge at Sephiroth, closing the gap between them and actually tackled her mentor, sending him falling backward into the snow after trying to keep himself from falling with his arms.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We believed that since the circumstances are different, especially in terms of my psychological state, I should be--”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Believed?! Should?! YOU WERE GUESSING! ASSUMING!” she screamed, grabbing at the neck of Sephiroth’s parka to shake him for emphasis with those last two words, “And what would have happened if YOU WERE WRONG?!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Then we’d be in some slight--” he heard Sephiroth respond as he heard what sounded like sizzling from behind him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He spared a glance, seeing Genesis burning a path through the snow using his Firaga materia as a flamethrower, melting the snow in front of him. There was only so much damage he can control right now and it was a decision between his pyromaniac best friend</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“IT WOULD NOT BE SLIGHT, YOU IDIOT!” Ami screamed, shaking Sephiroth roughly by the coat as the silver haired man looked toward him and Genesis with what passed for a pleading expression on Sephiroth’s face, “YOU WOULD BE GONE AND THE PLANET WOULD BE EVEN MORE DOOMED THAN IT IS ALREADY!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He made a motion to approach the scene, planning to peel Ami off of his friend when he found Genesis’s arm rise up to block his path, “I want at least one of my friends to live through this mess.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“But it’s not! Everything’s just fine, Ami!” Sephiroth shouted, “I’m still me!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ami stopped shaking Sephiroth, seeing his friend holding Ami’s hands in his own, pulling them gently from their grip. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“But something could have happened,” he almost didn’t hear Ami say quietly as he saw Sephiroth lean towards Ami.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You think they’ll kiss?” Genesis whispered into his ear.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“But nothing happened. Nothing like that will happen without--” Sephiroth stated quietly as Ami wrestled her hands free from his.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Prideful idiot,” Ami said, covering his face with handfuls of snow before removing herself from him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I guess not,” Genesis commented with a sigh, “Sounds like it’s your cue.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I think he’s had enough of a lecture for right now,” Angeal said with some amusement as Sephiroth stood up, looking confused as he heard Genesis using his materia as a flamethrower yet again, “you’re going to exhaust yourself doing that.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So? The furthest we’re likely to go is the village itself and it looks tiny,” Genesis said with a shrug.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Genesis, Angeal,” Sephiroth said, nodding at each of them in greeting before looking confused, “mind explaining what just happened? Clearly I did something wrong.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ami is upset because we could have lost you,” Angeal said gently, “and she wasn’t informed you were here until we got into the Gelnika. And she was likely hoping you wouldn’t have gone alone.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I wasn’t alone. I had Director Verdot with me,” Sephiroth stated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He rubbed at his face. Was Sephiroth really this clueless? Yes. Yes, he most certainly was. He had the social skills of a toddler when not in the situations he was trained for, likely from early childhood. Okay, the social skills of an overly polite toddler who did not want to talk to anyone and wanted to be left alone. If he were to assign an age in terms of Sephiroth’s current social skills and emotional awareness, he was likely still far younger than he was when they’d met.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You didn’t have any of us with you, Seph,” Angeal said with a sigh, “so if something went wrong and you needed to be stopped or rendered unconscious or otherwise needed help, you only had the Director of the Turks with you. We weren’t there and it bothers us, Seph. Because we weren’t there for him and look at who he is now because of it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I surmise there was more to it than that,” Sephiroth said with a frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You can’t disagree that if his version of Genesis and I were there and were of sound mind, that would never happened the way it did,” Angeal said with a frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What we knew was that in the original chain of events, I’d lost everyone and didn’t have Ami in my life,” Sephiroth said with a frown, “everyone but Zack were gone, or made it clear that they were no longer my friend. But in this time, I have everyone and Ami. No one’s abandoned me or betrayed me. I have my convictions and memories to keep me from falling to Jenova. More than that, I’m aware that the basement is full of lies.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It was still a risky gamble, Sephiroth. You know what they say. Those who are blinded by pride and arrogance tend to be the first to fall,” Angeal stated with a frown, “you could have underestimated the enemy and then what? You’re not perfect and definitely not invulnerable, Seph. And that’s okay. We all have our weaknesses and that’s why we band together and face threats together.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t understand why everyone appears to be upset over that which didn’t happen,” Sephiroth said with a frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Because it was a possibility and we could have lost our friend,” Angeal said quietly, “and that possibility scares us.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You were afraid of losing me?” Sephiroth asked, clearly taken aback by the very idea.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Did he really think he meant so little to him and Genesis? Of course, Sephiroth would. He knew that the other man had never had friends at all nor understood being cared for. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Of course. You’re our friend, Seph. After hearing everything Ami has said and Genesis’s close call, aren’t you scared of losing us?” he asked gently.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He’d never seen Sephiroth drop his mask so quickly before. One moment, he was his usual guarded self and the next, he saw the horror and pain on his friend’s face before he spoke.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“All the time,” Sephiroth said quietly, “I’m terrified. That another… it could still happen. And I… I don’t want it to. The two of you… and Ami… you mean so much to me that…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s how we feel about you,” Genesis said, approaching Sephiroth without any regard for the snow or melting a path, “There is no hate, only joy for you are beloved by the goddess.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It almost broke Angeal’s heart seeing Sephiroth realize that how he was scared for them was reciprocated and that they were scared for him as well. What made him feel a bit better was that Sephiroth gave them both a clear indication that he was welcoming a group hug and as he moved to participate, saw Genesis approach and embraced Sephiroth first. He looked over, looking for Ami, seeing her speaking with the man in the red cloak. Zack, however, never could resist the urge to participate in every group hug within his general vicinity.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Kids, when you get done hugging, we’ve got things to do!” Director Verdot exclaimed in clear affection before turning to the man in the red cloak, “would you believe three of them are SOLDIER’s elite?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : : .</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Author’s Note: 3/30/21</p><p>Okay so this has taken a while to do (three days of writing once I got going...ish) and I’m really sorry.</p><p>Bright side, I think I know why I’m finding things difficult: it’s because while my Aunt was on the decline, I threw myself into this story because I didn’t know how to handle real life stuff. So there’s likely a part of me that feels some guilt that I avoided responsibilities by throwing myself into this fic and working on it to the exclusion of almost everything else for the sake of my own mental health.</p><p>Downside, I think I’m in another similar predicament, this time with my youngest feline. He appears to be having a slight head cold (sneezing, sounding congested, occasional coughing) but he’s as active as he normally is (he sounds like how I feel when I have an allergy attack). I’m still monitoring his symptoms (I think it might be the fact that the furnace died a month ago so things have been a bit chilly). </p><p>I was planning on having the group deal with Jenova but then long conversations happened and drama and realizing just how ticked off Ami is going to be. </p><p>I hope you guys enjoy this chapter.</p><p>Laters!<br/>~Gregora</p><p>Next Time on BtV: The Pyromaniac gets to be a Pyromaniac, even when people don’t want him to be. The actual Nibelheim style barbecue actually happens this time! Sephiroth faces the true extent of Ami’s ire, can he gain her forgiveness? And what of Cloud Strife?</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0050"><h2>50. That Which Dies in Nibelheim</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The Pyromaniac gets to be a Pyromaniac, even when people don’t want him to be. The actual Nibelheim style barbecue actually happens this time! Sephiroth faces the true extent of Ami’s ire, can he gain her forgiveness? And what of Cloud Strife?</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Disclaimer: I don’t own squat except for Ami. I’m just playing in Square-Enix’s sandbox, yo. Also, I need feedback and lots of since I know I’m not perfect and if things don’t mesh or match up, I’d like to know how to fix it. Anyways, on with the story!</p><p>Trigger Warning: Fire, Body Horror</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Chapter Forty-Seven</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What could they possibly be after in the mansion?” Sephiroth asked as Cloud watched the mental image of his hero and friend pace about his bedroom.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“They sounded like they were just checking in with some employees. Maybe they’re after that scientist that’s been assisting you?” Cloud offered with a frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He saw Sephiroth frown deeply before muttering, “it appears they’re after the monster lurking in the basement. This can be dangerous.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“A monster?” Cloud asked with a frown, “if there was a monster down there, why didn’t we see it?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Because it was locked away by Professor Hojo,” Sephiroth said, looking at him with a frown, “the monster was another of Hojo’s experiments, but it was considered a failure, unlike me.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What do you mean?” Cloud asked, turning his full attention to the silver haired man.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I wasn’t born like you were, Cloud,” Sephiroth said, looking away, “I was created in a lab. Born and trained to be what you see here.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Do you have any friends back at Shinra?” Cloud asked, not liking how lonely of a life Sephiroth must have had before he lost his body.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No one who didn’t eventually leave me,” Sephiroth said quietly, “I dare not fool myself that you won’t one day leave me.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Why do you think I would?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Because everyone has, Cloud. Unless they see a use for me, they discard me. It’s why a fake has my body, after all.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, maybe I’m not like everyone else,” Cloud said with a frown, “maybe I’ll be the first one who doesn’t leave. After all, maybe that’s why we met.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Perhaps,” Sephiroth said before turning towards him, “I will have to pay attention to what’s going on in that mansion, so you won’t see me for a little while. Stay safe, Cloud.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Cloud suddenly found himself alone in his bedroom, feeling the presence of his hero turned friend and mentor moving away, leaving him fully alone more than he’d felt since Sephiroth had made it so that they could speak mentally like that. He knew that it meant that Sephiroth was operating alone and he didn’t want the man to be alone.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Where are you going this time, Stormcloud?” he heard his mom call out from the kitchen, looking worriedly at him before he could reach his coat and snow boots.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Outside?” he responded, realizing that he’d responded uncertainly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Can you be more specific?” she asked, giving him a look that told him to fess up, “you know it’s dangerous to go anywhere alone. People are still missing.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ve gone out alone and I’m not missing,” he responded with a shrug.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Which has caused us more problems than you know. If you keep it up, we might get run out of the village and then what?” she asked with a frown, “the more you keep flaunting that you can go out by yourself and not turn up missing, the more the village becomes suspicious of us.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He knew why he was safe and it wasn’t either of their faults. It was because he was under Sephiroth’s protection. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As he put on his thick coat after having put on his snow boots, he felt another mind, so similar to his own, reaching out in curiosity. He felt Sephiroth reach out to him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>‘That would be the fake’s mentee. She likely isn’t aware that she’s being trained by a fake. Or if she’s aware, she is on his side,’ Sephiroth warned.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>‘So don’t trust her or make contact,’ Cloud responded with a frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>‘That is my suggestion. I don’t want you to fall for their lies,’ Sephiroth warned as Cloud left his house and ran out into the snow.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Cloud only managed a few steps before a group of people attracted his attention. Leading the way was the man who was with the Other Sephiroth walking alongside a man with black hair and a long, tattered red cloak and golden metal covering his shoes and a gauntlet covering one of his hands. Then there was the Other Sephiroth, flanked by two men he knew were other First Class SOLDIERs, vaguely recognizing them from his comic books where they fought alongside Sephiroth. It was hard to tell more than their size and hair color due to the fact that everyone was wearing winter gear. One of them, the one with reddish hair said something and his fellow laughed and he saw the Other Sephiroth smile. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>At the back of the group were two other SOLDIERs, one of them didn’t bother keeping up his hood and decided to forego a cap, revealing black spikey hair. The one walking next to the black haired SOLDIER was leaner and a bit taller, almost the thinnest one out of the five SOLDIERs. Their hair was obscured by a knit cap and wore the same type of coat as the others but seemed more comfortable in the snow. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You seem to be in a better mood, Ami,” the black haired SOLDIER said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s because it’s been ages since I’ve seen this kind of snowfall. I think I was like eleven since the last big snowfall I’ve been in,” came the response from the taller, leaner SOLDIER, “and smell that mountain air.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m pleased that your mood has lightened,” the Other Sephiroth said with some amount of fondness.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Don’t mistake my enjoyment of snow for my having gotten over the stunt you pulled, sir,” the one referred to as Ami snipped.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He expected the Other Sephiroth to not take any of Ami’s lip and round on her with fury. Instead, there was something almost sad in the Other Sephiroth as he merely gave a half nod. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I intend to make it up to you. I… understand your concern,” the Other Sephiroth stated quietly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He approached the group in clear curiosity and his movement was noticed by the one the raven haired SOLDIER had called Ami, which meant that she was the Other Sephiroth’s mentee. Her eyes landed on him and he froze. Just what was she going to do?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ll catch up. The Mansion’s just down this path, right?” Ami asked her compatriots, getting a nod from the Other Sephiroth, “I’ll be a short bit.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>With that, Ami approached and looked him up and down in clear curiosity before saying, “I knew you were short, but I wasn’t expecting this short.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s only because you’re tall!” Cloud exclaimed with a pout, crossing his arms in front of himself.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Can’t argue that,” she admitted with some amusement before saying, “so you’re Cloud Strife, huh? Just turned what? Thirteen? Fourteen? Just the other month, right?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He couldn’t help but to leer at her. Just how much did she know about him and why did she even know anything about him? He was just a nobody. The one all the other kids singled out just because he made a mistake a few years back. He was utterly worthless. He didn’t even know why Sephiroth even cared about him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“How do you know so much about me?” he asked, feeling rather cagey.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You wouldn’t believe me if I told ya, kiddo,” she responded with a lopsided grin, “I still have trouble believing that all this is real and I’m the one living it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Try me,” he challenged her, staring into her eyes until she glanced away, which hadn’t taken very long.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I was taken away from my home by a Shinra scientist to use the term ‘scientist’ loosely. Back where I’m from, we had stories of this land where you become a hero in every sense of the word after losing everything, or at least almost everything, and you defeat your archnemesis three times,” she said with the same lopsided grin.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I think you’ve got the wrong Cloud Strife,” he muttered dryly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Do I? I mean, in the stories, Cloud Strife has chocobo hair, low self image, and tried his best to protect his only friend at the time when they fell off a bridge and she fell into a coma for about what? A week or so?” Ami stated, getting his attention.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He couldn’t argue with any of her statements. They were all accurate. The stories she knew from her homeland were accurate about half of his life. He was still not a hero, just some kid from a village in the mountains, as close to nowhere as one could get. Still, it didn’t sit right that some outsider who was the Other Sephiroth’s mentee knew so much about him and his life.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Why are you even talking to me?” Cloud asked with a deep frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Because I’m concerned for you. I fear that you might have fallen into a web of lies without noticing,” she said with a deep frown on her face as she bent her knees to crouch down to his level, “and you’re a nice kid, Cloud. Nice kids tend to trust easily and that is both your greatest strength and your greatest weakness. But the trick is to keep watch for signs that you’re trusting the wrong person. The biggest sign is when someone tries to control you, tell you who to talk to or be around, or try to isolate you from your family or friends. I had to learn that lesson the hard way. I hope you won’t have to.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And you’re not trying to control me?” Cloud asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You mean this conversation? Nahh. This is me giving you some advice,” she said lightly before something dark and sad came over her features, “you see, I didn’t know the signs and I got too close to the wrong kind of person. Because of my cluelessness, I nearly died from injuries they inflicted on me. I don’t want you to go through that.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What do you care?” Cloud asked, giving her what he hoped was a sharp look.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Because you’re an innocent kid who’s likely in a dangerous spot or will be shortly. I don’t like seeing kids hurt,” Ami said with a frown, “though I’d say it’s quite a certainty rather than simply likely entirely because of the mental link I’m detecting from you. How did you get it, if you don’t mind my asking.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What if I do mind?” Cloud asked with a deep frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Do you even know what it means or what it entails?” Ami asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He was about to answer when he found his mouth refused to answer. This was new. It was like he was no longer in control of his body. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t care. I’m done talking with you,” Cloud found himself saying before woodenly walking back into his house.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He was starting to panic as his body automatically removed his coat and hung it up on its peg. He found his panic being pushed aside as he removed his snow boots, setting them by the door to dry. He grew concerned as his gloves and knit cap were removed and also placed in their proper spots before his body carried him back to his bedroom and laid itself down on his bed before he could feel like he was back in control. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>What had just happened?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He couldn’t help but to feel confused and violated as he curled up in his bed, moving just enough to wrap himself in the thick quilt on his bed. His stomach roiled as he felt as if he lost control of his body. In fact, that was exactly what happened. Somehow, he was controlled like a puppet and he couldn’t keep his body from doing such things. All he could do was weep into his pillow and wonder what had just happened and who had that kind of power over him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The group of them met in what was clearly the dining room of the mansion to discuss matters. Both Sephiroth and Ami had ensured that there weren’t any further Sephiroth clones within the mansion before everyone sat down over hot drinks from the kitchen.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What can you tell me about the layout of the reactor as you know it?” Veld asked, looking at her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, there’s the main room which is about half full of mako pods holding people that have mutated due to absorbing too much mako, likely victims of Hojo’s experiments,” Ami said carefully.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She watched as Seph took in the potential of what her words meant and looked down. She could feel his sadness and despair at finding out the potential fates of the other children he had known as a child himself. And a wave of anger directed elsewhere, likely Hojo. She knew that he was seeing exactly the kind of monster Hojo was and seeing exactly how wrong Hojo is. She took it a sign that he was accepting more of his human nature, that he was becoming more human than whatever monster Hojo wanted him to be. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Is there anything we can do for them?” Seph asked quietly, “they’re likely to just be innocents.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s likely that they’re dependent on mako to the point that removing them from the pods would kill them. It’s quite probable that death would be a mercy for them, what little of them remains after being exposed to such high amounts of the stuff for who knows how long,” Ami said quietly, wanting to try to soothe Seph’s pain and sadness through the mental link.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Does this mean you’re not as unhappy with me?’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘There’s a difference between being upset out of concern and being cruel. I can still be upset at you over you being a huge idiot while wanting to soothe your discomfort and pain. I can be upset and still care about you.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“There’s a stair that goes through rows of the pods leading to a locked door with a great big ol’ plaque with Jenova’s name on it. If they were trying to hide the main body, the only way they could be more obvious is with bright neon lights,” she commented.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“How did… the other me get through the locked door?” Seph asked quietly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“How would you go through a door you really wanted to and don’t have a key and don’t know where the key was and you didn’t want to spend who knows how long looking for it?” she asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I would have used Masamune,” Seph admitted.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s how he got through,” Ami said with a frown, “beyond the door, there’s a small grating landing and the rest of the way to the main body is just one big pipe and below is the reactor itself. It’s how he died the first time. He should have gotten bifurcated by the Buster Sword right through his middle and somehow managed to not just live but limp along. He ran through Cloud with Masamune and Cloud used his body as a fulcrum to swing him off of the pipe and he fell into the reactor and died.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She knew that it unsettled Seph because she saw his mind just playing out the scene. She mentally shoved it out of his focus while trying to ease his unsettled mind. This was far too close to Jenova to allow anything to grab a hold of his mind, which she knew was still a mess and wounded. It was the real reason she was so upset, just the idea of him having been here without her present had sent her into a fit. But now, all she could do was worry and keep as close an eye on his psychological state as she could. And just maybe, this might be the first time Sephiroth could leave Nibelheim in the same state he’d entered.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She felt his response, a sort of telepathic equivalent of an embrace that made her want to be physically closer to him. Almost unbidden, her eyes glanced to his lips as she saw him quickly run his tongue over them to moisten them. No, she was not going to think such things. She’d only spent roughly four days without him and that was definitely not enough to put her into this state. She had to remind herself of what he’d told her the previous week - that he only kissed and nearly made out with her entirely because he thought she’d like it - not because he wanted to. She was definitely not going to make him feel forced to do anything further with only the idea that she would enjoy it. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It sounds like it will be best to remove the main body from the reactor to minimize contamination,” Veld stated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She nodded before saying, “we’ll need a good way of moving it without touching the body. I feel it would be prudent to treat the body as hazardous.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She saw everyone nod at her in agreement before Seph spoke, “I also recommend we deal with the mansion at the same time the other team is dealing with the body so as to distract him.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I have set up the trigger for my signal to go off just before the charges can detonate,” Lucrecia said with a slight smile, “even if he could react, it will be difficult for him to do so.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Unless he takes control over the body,” she said with a deep frown, “he did so in the stories. He was able to take control of the body, made it alter its shape to look like him and went on a bit of a killing spree in the HQ where it was stored in Hojo’s lab.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She felt Seph’s reaction more than she saw it. She felt what amounted to a tidal wave of protectiveness surge up. It was rather sweet that he wanted to protect her, in her opinion, but she also saw it as a nuisance sometimes. Especially when it got in the way, or in this instance, risked losing himself to Jenova. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“In which case, I will be present,” Seph said with a clear edge of authority, “if need be, I <em>will</em> remind everyone present that I am the ranking officer here.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She couldn’t help but to glare at who she was starting to see as the silver haired idiot who clearly had misplaced all but one brain cell in the few days he’d been separated from the rest of the group. Of course, that one brain cell he had left had to be the one located in the ‘dumbass’ region of his brain, of all places, considering the wonderfully intelligent decisions he was making with it. She just hoped she wouldn’t need to apply percussive maintenance to his brain to get all the brain cells back in place and working.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You disagree with me, SOLDIER Third Class Anderson?” Seph asked, his voice lacking in emotion.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Permission to speak my mind, <em>sir</em>?” she responded, almost as icily.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He seemed to debate on this before saying, “as much as I may regret saying this, permission granted.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Is <em>this</em> how you react to being without us for only a handful of days, Sephiroth? By becoming a complete and utter <em>reckless <strong>idiot</strong></em>? Do you <em>even have</em> the brain cells to rub together in order to <em>comprehend</em> just how we are worried for you? To <em>comprehend</em> that you are in the literal most dangerous location to you that <em>any of us are aware of</em>? And you want to get closer to the psychic hazard that could subsume your free will if given the chance and opportunity? And for <em>what</em>? To make sure that if he takes control of the body,<em> little ol’ me</em> would be protected by the hero in shining armor you’re acting like you see yourself as? I didn’t ask for your protection, <em><strong>sir</strong></em>, and I don’t want it. If I need to pin you down just to keep you within the village, I would happily do so.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She was vaguely aware of Genesis muttering “here we go again” when Sephiroth abruptly stood up, the mako in his eyes glowing brilliantly, the only visual cue of the anger she was detecting through the connection as he towered above everyone.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That is <strong>enough</strong>, SOLDIER Third Class Anderson,” Sephiroth all but snapped at her, his eyes staring at her, “I am aware of the dangers and it is a tactically sound decision to reposition one unit to prevent the loss of two when repositioning that one unit would not cause the unit’s original task to fail.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Are you sure that’s your real reasoning, <em>sir</em>?” she asked, “because the way I see it, you are not even taking into the account that by ‘repositioning one unit’ as you put it may just create a situation where everything is lost! As it is, none of us can be certain if you’re even thinking clearly due to proximity to the psychic hazard!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You are aware that it’s rather unbecoming to question a superior officer’s orders in such a way, no, Anderson?” Sephiroth asked in a low growl.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I believe section 11-C states that in the case that there’s just cause to question the fitness of one’s superior officers and if the majority of First Class SOLDIERs present agree that the superior officer’s mental or physical fitness is questionable, the ranking officer is temporarily relieved of duty and their second in command takes up command,” Ami stated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Do you really doubt my capabilities?” Sephiroth asked, his voice low, almost threatening as he stalked around the table, heading for her as she couldn’t help but to think he looked absolutely predatory.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m seriously doubting your sanity right now, that’s for sure,” she commented, keeping her eyes on him as she couldn’t figure out what exactly he was intentionally or unintentionally sending out through their connection, “I have no idea how much of what the hell is going in your head is really you and how much is that thing right now.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sephiroth found himself in a situation he had never found himself in with any sort of regularity until Ami had entered his life. He was used to knowing exactly what to do in most cases, or if he wasn’t able to figure it out, he was able to ask his friends. But this was entirely new and uncertain and exceedingly terrifying for him. He felt as if he were on the threshold of something new as he stood near her, looking down at her as she gave him a very overly expressive look of anger. Her eyebrows furrowed as deeply as they could go as her eyes glowed almost as brilliantly as any First’s. He stole only a glance at her lips, knowing that if he did more than steal a glance, he might not be able to keep himself from fixating on them, seeing them curled into a deep frown. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The less logical part of him wanted nothing more than to pull her into his arms and kiss her anger away and tell her by his actions just why he truly wanted to protect her. He wanted to tell her that she was worth every torture Hojo could devise for him if it meant that she would be safe. Above all, he wanted to share with her exactly how he felt towards her. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But they were on a critical mission and so much was hanging in the balance, more than just his own occasionally shaky sanity. He had to still his raging emotions which demanded so much, more than he felt he should do in this situation. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And yet, a part of him was screaming because he had thought she understood what it could mean if she was insubordinate towards superior officers, that it was a reflection upon his capabilities to control her. And she was barely ever under his control. She went along with him but only if it appeared to suit her or whatever mood she was in. He had explained to her what failure meant for him, what being incapable of performing his duties resulted for him. And yet, there she was, being insubordinate and endangering a critical mission at the absolute worst moment.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>So he had to act decisively. He had to break her of her insubordinate tendencies. And he knew it was going to hurt her. The other option was to risk being under Hojo’s microscope for an extended time, which could involve horrors he hadn’t been forced to endure since before he was shoved into SOLDIER long before his voice broke. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The emotional side of him took control and he did what he knew was likely the absolute worst thing possible, but it was a compromise between both sides of him which demanded action. He pulled her close to him, just enough to feel her body heat and feel her pulse.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span><em>‘If I’m of questionable sanity, it’s because of you, Ami,’</em> he sent as his mouth descended onto hers.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He felt her mouth open under his lips and he tasted her as deeply as he could, his tongue consuming as much as it could as a fear ran down his spine, telling him that this might be the last time. And so, he ravaged and claimed as much as he could while at the same time, committing as much of this to memory as he could as her own tongue explored his own mouth with a hunger that matched his. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Is this because you think I’d like this?’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘No. This is because I want to. I need to.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was at this admission that her end of the kiss became far more heated as he could feel a sense of happiness and pleasure coming from her. That this was something she needed to know. However, he knew that this was going to have to end. It was horribly inappropriate to be kissing his mentee while at a critical stage on a very important mission, even if it wasn’t entirely unpleasant. So he pulled back, ending the kiss.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Her hands had been gripping his biceps for stability and she appeared more flushed than normal as his eyes slowly fluttered open. There was something in her gaze at that moment which made him want to whisk her away somewhere where they could ignore the world outside of wherever they’d wound up. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But he had a mission to focus on and an insubordinate mentee who was endangering it. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span><em>‘I already regret what I must do, Ami,’</em> he sent at her before peeling her off of him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“SOLDIER Third Class Ami Anderson, your behavior has been highly insubordinate and has endangered this mission. According to the regulations you seemed to enjoy referencing, I must discipline you for this behavior. For the remainder of our time in Nibelheim, you are to stay in a room in the inn. You are also to be pulled from the rest of your missions until we arrive in Midgar. Upon our arrival, I will determine further disciplinary action, if any,” he stated, doing his best to sound professional.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So you’re gonna throw me into some room while you face danger without me? <strong><em>Again</em></strong>?” Ami asked, her tone angrily demanding.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“If not for your behavior, the situation would be different. And<em> I</em> won’t be <em>throwing</em> you anywhere. You will be <em>escorted</em> at the conclusion of this meeting or sooner if your behavior worsens,” he stated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It might be best for everyone if I get dragged off now rather than to deal with this,” Ami stated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Angeal, could I rely on you to keep an eye on Anderson for the duration of this mission?” he asked, looking at Angeal.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Angeal merely nodded before Veld handed him a key. He watched as Ami gave him a glare before following behind Angeal as he felt the connection he had with her slam shut. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Deep down, he hoped that one day, he could make it up to her. That she could forgive him for what he’d just done. He turned back to their discussion as he did his best to focus on that rather than on how alone he was feeling now that he could no longer feel her presence.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sephiroth stood by the hastily assembled pyre with a radio in hand and an earbud in ear. Waiting for both teams to inform him that they were in position. This had become a SOLDIER operation at the point that the plan was agreed to by Veld and himself and it meant that this was entirely on his orders and his judgment. He knew that he was working with the best and had confidence in their abilities. He glanced over as he heard the sound of snow turning instantly to steam approach him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Of course Genesis would want to be a part of this. If it involved setting anything on fire, he would be surprised if Genesis refused. He just hoped that Genesis was able to withstand the attacks, which he had yet to notice. Which did nothing but worry him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Extraction in position,” he heard Zack say over the phone, “and can I say that this is <strong>not</strong> pretty to look at?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Focus,” he responded, “on my mark.” He paused, drawing a breath before saying, “mark.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A full second after he had said that last word, he heard an explosion off in the distance. He knew it was likely the mansion going up. He glanced towards Genesis who merely grinned.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I volunteer to participate in the barbecue,” Genesis said with a large grin.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m not surprised,” he remarked before Zack ran out of the reactor holding a form that was wrapped in a tarp.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Zack tossed the body onto the logs and all three of them started to throw Firaga at the logs and form, forcing the flames to catch. And catch they did, clearly hitting a spot that had been moistened by lighter fluid. As the flames crept towards the body, he watched as the body moved. The body first sat up and then stood before tearing the tarp off of it, revealing him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Except that this version of him had hair down to almost his knees, which was longer than what he had before he’d been captured by Wutai. And there was still that glint of madness in its eyes as it smirked at him before sprouting a singular black wing on its right side. It then approached him, stalking forwards like a predator.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It appears that you’re starting to lose your burdens,” it sneered before chuckling, “soon you will be free like me.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Friendship is only a burden to those who don’t comprehend the very concept,” he responded.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“All that awaits you is a somber morrow,” Genesis commented before charging at the creature.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It laughed as it caught Genesis’s slice at its head, batting him away like a toy as he saw something squirm through its right arm before what appeared to be a big, fat, disgusting wormlike piece of flesh emerged from its hand. It tossed the piece of flesh to the ground. He watched in horror as the flesh grew and morphed and decided he wasn’t going to let it become an issue. He cut and sliced through it with Masamune as he saw fireballs slam into it, roasting it. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He was aware that it had made its escape while they dealt with the piece of flesh and let out a sigh.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Things would only get more difficult from here on out. That, he could tell.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : : .</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Author’s Note: 4/5/21</p><p>So this happened. </p><p>I did not intend for a second round of arguing between Seph and Ami nor for it to go that far. This is going to be fun.</p><p>Bright side, the cat in question made a full recovery on his own, so yay.  Also got a USB drawing tablet which I’m still trying to get the hang of.</p><p>I really do appreciate the comments! They give me life. Please, by all means, keep them coming! Sometimes I wonder if anyone even reads my drivel, lol.</p><p>Laters!<br/>~Gregora</p><p>Next Time on BtV: On the flight to Fort Condor, everyone deals with the consequences of what happened in Nibelheim on their own terms and on their own time. Will anything return to normal?</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0051"><h2>51. Forgiveness in Flight</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>On the flight to Fort Condor, everyone deals with the consequences of what happened in Nibelheim on their own terms and on their own time. Will anything return to normal?</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Disclaimer: I don’t own squat except for Ami. I’m just playing in Square-Enix’s sandbox, yo. Also, I need feedback and lots of since I know I’m not perfect and if things don’t mesh or match up, I’d like to know how to fix it. Anyways, on with the story!</p><p>Trigger Warning: none that I could think of (if you spot any, please inform me.)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Chapter Forty-Eight</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ami hated being under lock and key in the inn. She hated the fact that the beds in the room had been used recently, one of which clearly by Sephiroth. No, if she were to crumple in on herself and cry, it was going to be on the floor. She fought off the temptation to grab a blanket and wrap herself in it because she just knew she’d be tempted to grab the one that smelled like </span>
  <em>
    <span>him</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>So she fought off all urges by curling in on herself in the closet, making sure that the mental connection was as locked tight against him as she could. It had hurt and confused her at the same time. How he seemed to go from hot to cold. She swore she was going to wind up with whiplash from his moods one of these days, if she kept sticking by him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>What </span>
  <em>
    <span>was</span>
  </em>
  <span> she thinking? It wasn’t like she was around him all the time because she </span>
  <em>
    <span>wanted</span>
  </em>
  <span> to. Okay, </span>
  <em>
    <span>that</span>
  </em>
  <span> was a bit harsh. So what if </span>
  <em>
    <span>some</span>
  </em>
  <span> of that time was honestly because she wanted to? Not all of the time she’d spent with him was willingly, but because he was her mentor and warden. And she’d gotten </span>
  <em>
    <span>attached </span>
  </em>
  <span>to him because he had moments of being sweet scattered amongst moments of being a complete idiot. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She thumped the back of her head against the wall of the closet. </span>
  <em>
    <span>She’d</span>
  </em>
  <span> been an </span>
  <em>
    <span>idiot</span>
  </em>
  <span>. She’d let him in too close. </span>
  <em>
    <span>That</span>
  </em>
  <span> was the problem. She shouldn’t have gotten </span>
  <em>
    <span>that</span>
  </em>
  <span> close. This wouldn’t have happened if she didn’t get so close that she </span>
  <em>
    <span>cared</span>
  </em>
  <span> about what happened to him. She laughed bitterly at herself for that thought. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Of course</span>
  </em>
  <span> she’d care about what happened to him - it was the very reason she’d decided to try to unravel his fate and try to weave a new one, a happier one for him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And here he was, in freaking Nibelheim, not even caring that the telepathic space virus’s main body was so close. And he didn’t even seem to take her emotions into account when she’d told him that she was so scared for him and instead had</span>
  <em>
    <span> insisted on getting even closer</span>
  </em>
  <span> to the main body in the incredibly stupid and sexist idea that a little girl like her </span>
  <em>
    <span>needed</span>
  </em>
  <span> the protection of who was quite likely the strongest man on the face of Gaia.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>God, she needed a drink. Something with enough alcohol content to disinfect this emotional wound she was dealing with. Wait, that was likely the worst possible idea. Instead, she just pulled out her earbuds and started to listen to her playlist on random, skipping over songs which just didn’t fit her mood and stewed. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She wasn’t some helpless little girl who needed to be rescued, nor was she some pathetic little princess who needed to be locked away for her safety. And how dare he treat her like this! She was a SOLDIER, not a pathetic and helpless girl! Did he really expect so little from her? Did he really see her as someone to play secretary and at the smallest hint of danger, kiss her and then hide her away for her own protection? What did she even see in him to begin with?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The first image her mind gave her was when they were in that clearing in Wutai, the moon glinting off his hair as he looked at her. His face was practically etched in pain and sadness as he’d explained that everyone but Hojo, Angeal, Genesis, and Zack had left him. That he’d lost so much in the labs that she couldn’t help but to promise that she’d always be in his life in some context, that any separation would be temporary. And she’d even gone insane enough to grasp his hand in hers. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She shoved the memory aside, wishing that her younger self was aware that the guy was a complete and total idiot who would lock her up for her safety. After giving her the most heated kiss in her life, telling her over the connection that he was kissing her because he wanted to. And he’d ruined the moment and broke her heart by sending her away. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She stewed like that in that closet, refusing to acknowledge that she was crying. At some point, she became aware that she had fallen asleep if only because she became vaguely aware of being picked up and carried. The part of her brain which had woken up took notice that the arms carrying her were familiar and safe as a wave of comfort eased her back into sleep as she rested her head against something soft.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Once things were cleaned up, including freeing Hojo’s old experiments from the torture and suffering their lives had become, many of which were recognizable to Sephiroth, he gave the order for everyone to head to the Gelnika to depart and that he’d inform Angeal personally. He ignored the glances everyone - including his parents - had given him. Judging by the fact that the mental connection between him and Ami wasn’t completely shut and the gentle waves being sent out, he could tell that Ami had fallen asleep and that it was a rather deep and peaceful sleep. One he wouldn’t disturb if he could help it due to the fact that if she had fallen asleep to that depth, it meant that she needed it. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He was thankful that Angeal gave him a nod in acknowledgement before turning to knock.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“She’s asleep,” he stated quietly, “it’s best if we don’t wake her.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Angeal merely nodded with a frown before saying, “she was barely sleeping the whole time we were in Gongaga. Her outburst was most likely because of her lack of rest.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“If it proves to be the case, then I won’t discipline her further. None of us are truly capable of thinking completely clearly on minimal sleep.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Agreed,” Angeal said before opening the door.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The room was as he and Veld had left it except that Veld had already had their gear moved back to the Gelnika. He was willing to bet that she’d curled up in the closet due to her proclivity of hiding there when emotionally unstable. Her soft snoring was supporting evidence for that hypothesis. Said hypothesis was proven correct when he found her curled up in the fetal position on the floor. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He nodded towards where her coat was and Angeal wordlessly brought it to him. He gently moved her so that he could wrap her in it and zip it up around her, not bothering to move her arms into the sleeves. Before he could give the soundless order to fetch her boots, they were deposited next to her and he slipped them over her feet just enough that they were secure and would minimize heat loss. Once her knit cap was slipped over her head and a scarf was placed to keep her face warm, he carefully gathered her in his arms and carried her out of the inn.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was an odd experience indeed for Sephiroth to be carrying Ami and it not being because she was ill or injured, but simply because she was sleeping. It didn’t help that he kept remembering the last time he’d carried her, which was after Scarlet had ripped her body to shreds. He had to remind himself that he was not covered with Ami’s blood and that Ami wasn’t bleeding out. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Halfway to the Gelnika, he felt her shift in his arms with a hum before moving closer to rest her head against his chest in the same place she usually did. He hoped that she truly wasn’t permanently upset at him, that she would forgive his actions and didn’t begrudge him that kiss. She had yet to begrudge him any of the past times he’d kissed her so he hoped that her pattern in that way would continue.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Once in the Gelnika, he carefully deposited her in a way that she could be secured while also reclined in a comfortable position, still wrapped up in the coat. It would be a little bit before the interior warmed to the point that even sleeping, the coat would be stifling. Seeing her sleep was enough to remind himself that he hadn’t been sleeping very well either and while he could still function and think clearly, she clearly couldn’t without her emotions running rampant. But that was allowable as long as she didn’t go as far in the future.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He was aware that a lot of her emotions at the time were able to be boiled down to fear. He could piece together that it was because of his proximity to Jenova as well as the image of Nibelheim burning that he’d seen in his nightmares and in her dream the night she had finally confided in him of all the secrets she’d been carrying. He’d hoped at this point, they could all rest easier but instead, the situation continued to develop.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>On the bright side, he was able to determine that his actual mother had been honest when she said she was able to deal with the clones in the area at least. He’d sensed their minds disappearing as the explosion had happened. That coupled with the destruction of the lab where they were created, meant that they had crippled their enemy that day. But it was at the cost of being unable to destroy Jenova’s main body.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He sat down nearby and strapped himself into the seat. Even if it had been such a hard fought victory, why did he have the feeling that this was just what Genesis would term the ‘opening act’?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He would continue ruminating but he noticed that his real mother was staring at him from a nearby seat. He tilted his head at her in curiosity before seeing her look away.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I apologize for staring but… you’re different from him and the visions I...,” she said quietly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Visions?” he asked, his attention now focused on his mother.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“When I was carrying you, I had visions of you… destroying so many lives and calling down a meteor. Of you being the cause of so much horror and destruction,” she said quietly before looking at him, “I’d believe it of that version of you but this one in front of me… you, rather… you’re different. I can’t see you doing such things. I… I think you might have once had it within you but you changed. You’re… too warm to be like that. I can see it in your eyes just how much you care.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know if I care because of some intrinsic facet of my being or if I’ve forced myself to care out of fear,” he stated, looking away.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“If you fear, then you already care, Sephiroth. Fear requires an amount of care. If you don’t care then if you lose the object or person, it wouldn’t matter. However, if you do care, then the mere concept of losing the object or person causes you fear,” Vincent said with an edge of warmth, “and I agree with Lucrecia’s assessment that I also do not see the monster we fought in the basement within you, Sephiroth.” He could have sworn he saw Vincent smile if he hadn’t hid his lower face behind the high collar of his cloak before adding, “especially with the display you put on in front of everyone.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He could feel his face heating up at the mention of the kiss before saying, “and that does not get mentioned outside of this group, if at all.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ami didn’t know where she was at first. The first things that she was aware of were the sound of engines and the vibration, likely from said engines. She let out a yawn and stretched, suddenly aware that she was bundled up in a thick coat that kept her arms practically glued to her sides and she was strapped down. If not for the straps securing her, she would have peeled the coat off of her. Her mind was suddenly fully aware and she was suddenly assessing the situation, automatically operating within the idea that she was likely in danger.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>This mindset evaporated the moment she saw Seph approach her quickly. She let out a breath, knowing that she was safe considering the fact that he was clearly not taken over by Jenova as far as she could tell. She heard the click of the buckles being released and as soon as he pulled back, she peeled the overly warm coat off of her. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Glancing up, she could see him look at her as she felt his curiosity and slight concern over the connection, as well as uncertainty. Like he didn’t know how to handle the situation. Memories creeping back to her and she looked away from him as she felt shame and guilt rise up. She understood that it was acceptable for her to voice her concerns, but what wasn’t acceptable was the fact that he had told her to stop and she had barreled on anyways, ignoring the boundary he’d set, ignoring the fact that he had told her to stop. Ignoring the fact that if the incident reached Hojo, Seph would be called to the labs. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She felt his mind reach out to touch hers in concerned curiosity, almost a gentle caress. It was a pleasant feeling as she felt callused fingers touch her chin, tilting her chin up so her eyes would meet his green feline eyes. There was something about it all that made what she’d done that much worse. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I should have listened to you. I’m sorry for my behavior,” she said quietly, looking away from his gaze without moving her head, “I… I continued when you had told me to stop and… I’m aware of the potential consequences of my actions.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“This deserves a more in-depth conversation once we arrive in Midgar,” he stated, his voice smooth and almost gentle.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Understood,” she said, nodding as much as she could with her chin being held so gently in one of his bare hands. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Was he suddenly closer? She couldn’t tell, all she wanted was to curl up in all of her guilt and shame. And to think she’d been furious earlier for being treated like she was so fragile because she was a girl and that she wasn’t being treated like a SOLDIER. What the absolute heck was she thinking?! She was being treated like a SOLDIER, specifically a Third. Of course she was fragile, especially compared to the majority of SOLDIERs present. Even more so compared to her mentor.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Would it be okay if I…” he started to say, the words clearly drying up as she could just feel his uncertainty over the connection before his voice went far quieter, “I would like to… embrace you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She found herself able to pull her chin out of his loosened grasp and looked away before asking, “why?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Because you’re hurt and upset. I want to comfort you,” he asked quietly, “I… don’t like it when you’re… like this.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Because of the connection?’</span>
  </em>
  <span> she sent, still not looking at him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘That may be a factor but I believe the main reason is that I very much prefer to see your smile.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Why would you prefer to see that? It’s not like it makes me look any better.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Waves of anger and pain and sadness came over the connection. She would have recoiled from the anger if it had been aimed at her, instead it was aimed elsewhere. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Ami… I prefer to see that because I enjoy seeing you happy and I think it makes you look radiantly beautiful. You are far more beautiful than you think you are.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Her eyes snapped to his. How could he think such things about her? She knew he couldn’t be blind entirely due to the fact that sight was critical to his job and if he became blind, Hojo would have kittens. Delusional, perhaps? It is possible that due to the fact that he’d admitted that she was the first female in his age range that he had contact with, all of the effects of his hormones were finally turning on and he was focusing all of his repressed or delayed sexual awakening on her. Yes, that had to be it. Hormones and he finally had a sexual awakening, thanks to her. She was just his current target because there weren’t any other targets or options open to him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And this was going to make not letting Hojo win that much more difficult. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Regardless, such opinions are dangerous, Sephiroth. They’re a sign that you’re becoming attached in ways that Hojo wants.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Actually, Hojo doesn’t care about us forming attachments. He just wants us to copulate and produce offspring. I’m certain that he’d rather you form an attachment to me compared to the possibilities of a two-way attachment or a one-way attachment from me. And I’ve gotten rather attached to you, Ami.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘I know you’re attached to me. That panic attack you had in Wutai where you clung to me in terror of losing me told me you are. The fact that we sleep together at night is also evidence of this, as is the fact that you don’t look as well rested as you usually do. You… had trouble sleeping too, I take it?’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Yes. I… missed you greatly,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> he sent, the message hitting her in such a way that told her that it took a lot for him to make that admission over the connection.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“May I?” Seph verbally prodded, clearly to remind her that she had yet to answer a question of his.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She merely nodded and quickly found her gathered up in his arms and moved towards the seats at the back of the plane and obscured from view. She remained in his arms as he sat down and repositioned her so that she was not just in his arms still but on his lap. A small sigh escaped her lips as she snuggled in closely, enjoying the moment as she rested her head against his shoulder, thankful that he was still dressed in a sweater from his stay at Nibelheim. She shifted, feeling something press against her and didn’t fully grasp what it was until she heard him huff out the tiniest of sighs. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She was curious at first, completely forgetting for a moment her knowledge of male biology. Fortunately, before she could reach down with a curious hand, her brain supplied the necessary information. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And her thoughts screeched to a halt as she could almost see her brain throw up an error message. She moved her head from his chest to look at him, seeing that there was a slight blush forming on his face but otherwise looked impassive to her. Why was this happening? After the thought came to mind, she remembered that he was undergoing a delayed sexual awakening. That had to be it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She didn’t know what to do. She wanted to stay in his arms but she also didn’t want him to be uncomfortable. Her movement likely didn’t help either. Did she want to go or stay? She didn’t even know what was the best option. This was the first time in days where she was able to be so close to him and she’d missed cuddling with him. She did not want to throw away this opportunity. And yet, she didn’t want to torment him by doing so. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘What’s wrong?’</span>
  </em>
  <span> his voice echoed in her head, sounding concerned.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘I… don’t know what to do. I don’t want to move but I don’t want to torment you. We’re still going to Fort Condor, right?’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘I don’t mind it and yes. We should be an hour from Fort Condor. Then it’s three hours to Midgar.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘I… now that I’m thinking about it, in the game, the Phoenix summon materia doesn’t appear until after the condor roosting at the fort dies, which happens right before the egg hatches… which if the dates are correct, isn’t for another… six? Seven years?’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She heard him huff out a tiny sigh before picking her up as he stood. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That would have been important to have known when I was filling out the forms,” he said with a frown, setting her down in the seat next to the one they had occupied. “However, I will overlook this mistake since it will save us time.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She was aware of him subtly adjusting himself as he walked away. This whole day from the moment she’d woken up was a mess and it kept her severely off-balance. First was the realization that he was going through a phase most males went through as part of the teenaged experience. Second was the fact that he was obviously focused on her as part of his sexual awakening. The most unsettling part of the whole situation was that if not for Hojo, she would have absolutely no issues with the whole thing. In the absence of Hojo’s threat, she could easily see herself be quite enthusiastic with a sexual relationship with Seph. But that was not the life she was living.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Before her thoughts could go too far down a hole she’d rather not explore, Seph returned and gathered her up and she found them in the same positions they had been in. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We’re now two hours out from Midgar,” he said lightly as she felt his arms pull her against his chest.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She could tell that his excitement had not abated at all based on the feeling of a specific something poking at her. A definite feeling of apprehension at the very idea that in two hours, they would be leaving the Gelnika and returning home. She paused as she realized that she thought of the apartment where she roomed with the Firsts as home. She didn’t know what to make of that realization.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Cloud could feel Sephiroth’s rage through the connection when the explosion went off just outside of Nibelheim, coming from the direction of the abandoned Shinra mansion. He knew he’d have given more of a reaction, perhaps even try to reassure the man if he wasn’t still terrified of what had happened earlier. How his body moved as if he were nothing more than a puppet and someone else was pulling the strings.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Something is bothering you,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> Sephiroth’s voice echoed through his mind, sounding concerned.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘I don’t know how or why but… my body moved of its accord and… I’m scared,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> he responded, burrowing in the blankets.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘It sounds like he took control of you, Cloud,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> Sephiroth stated with what sounded like venom, </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘this is what I feared. That which allows us to communicate can also be used to control. If I wished to use it to control you, I would have done so already. It is possible that he wished to turn you against me.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘You think the fake one would?’</span>
  </em>
  <span> he asked with a frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘He took over my body and refuses to give it back and he has attempted to destroy my Mother’s body.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘That’s just not right,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> Cloud responded,</span>
  <em>
    <span> ‘it sucks that there’s not much I can do to help you until I leave for Midgar to join Shinra in the spring.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>'You are doing enough to help me, Cloud. You have no idea just how much assistance you're giving me presently.'</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : : .</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Author’s Note: 4/10/21</p><p>So I would have this done and ready on the eighth if I’d bothered to realize that a specific scene was going to get lengthy. So I decided to split this chapter into two. </p><p>As for the whole thing about the Phoenix materia, I didn’t have all of the details at the time that I was writing the earlier bit of them putting together the materia mission or else I’d have skipped Fort Condor since I still haven’t reached that point in the original game. </p><p>Also with Sephiroth’s… problem, I was really cautious and iffy about it but then I remembered that he’d been sleeping with a Strategically Placed Pillow for reasons. Then there’s the fact that she’s not as upset with him as he feared and just being around her for the first time in days. </p><p>The next chapter at this point is almost done so expect an update tomorrow, lol. I may just reach the point of doing daily updates again, which would be nice. The next two arcs are going to be fun and insane. However, the next chapter will start the second half of this current arc which is going to be cute, sweet, and fluffy compared to what’s been going on. </p><p>I hope I don’t scare anyone away with this chapter and the next. Let’s just say that one of my tags was 11 chapters off. :3</p><p>Laters!<br/>~Gregora</p><p>Next Time on BtV: The group’s first night back from a mission and a relationship reaches a new level. A certain scientist is pleased.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0052"><h2>52. In Which a Relationship Reaches a New Level and Hojo is Pleased</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The group’s first night back from a mission and a relationship reaches a new level. A certain scientist is pleased.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Disclaimer: I don’t own squat except for Ami. I’m just playing in Square-Enix’s sandbox, yo. Also, I need feedback and lots of since I know I’m not perfect and if things don’t mesh or match up, I’d like to know how to fix it. Anyways, on with the story!</p><p>Trigger Warning: facing trauma, intimacy</p><p>If any of this is a deal breaker, you're welcome to skip the chapter and I'll try to summarize it in the next chapter without going into too much detail.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Chapter Forty-Nine</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sephiroth had been hoping for a pleasant trip back to Midgar. Truth be told, it was indeed shaping up to be a pleasant trip, but also one that tested his self-control beyond anything that Hojo had ever inflicted upon him. Discovering that Ami wasn’t as upset at him as she clearly had been before her sleep was definitely pleasing, but came with the sight of Ami upset at herself for her earlier actions. However, she seemed to have relaxed once she was nestled against him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But that was also what was testing his self-control. He’d been finding a part of him to get rather excited in her presence, especially after her wholehearted vow she had made to him in that meeting room. He had never experienced any kind of arousal like this before; Hojo had always had to use an aid of some kind to get any sort of result. But with Ami, all she needed to do was be near him or for the more unruly parts of his mind to supply him with fantasies that were rather pleasing but he doubted they’d ever amount to becoming more than simple fantasies.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It would have been immensely more pleasant if not for the fact that a half an hour out from Midgar, the Gelnika had hit minor turbulence. And the fact that every so often, Ami would shift against him. After the turbulence, he knew it was likely the best course of action to close the connection from his end so she wouldn’t be bothered by his increasingly troublesome emotional state. Ami had noticed that he’d closed the connection and shot him a small smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He could have sworn that she had intentionally done her best to torment him in ways that wouldn’t have been so excruciating if not for the fact that it was almost a half an hour by vehicle to the apartment from the airfield. Since it was almost obvious that she was doing such things to torment him, he didn’t see fit to give her much in the way of reactions. Still, it wasn’t completely unpleasant of an experience and would have been far more preferred in another location.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The moment that they finally reached the apartment, he briskly made his way to his bedroom with all due speed, not caring if the others would have said that he fled to his bedroom. He was half dressed and halfway to a cold shower when there was a knock on his door. In case it was important, he decided to answer, using the door to hide the reason for his planned cold shower.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ami stood there, looking a little uncertain before looking up at his face, “you said you wanted to discuss what happened once we got to Midgar.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There were a few things he’d rather do involving her, but he was not going to say as much. He didn’t welcome the embarrassment nor the potential of it being inappropriate to say. Or the very real risk of rejection. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Perhaps later?” he offered, not enthused by how uncertain and awkward he was sounding.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He was the highest ranking SOLDIER operative and he was coming off like he was like one of the younger recruits in the presence of whomever caught their eye. He’d been dragged to social events within SOLDIER where he saw inept Thirds and Seconds try to woo others quite awkwardly and ineptly. And Ami had somehow managed to render him into the same state.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Are you okay?” she asked, looking concerned, “you seemed a bit out of it on the way here. Ever since we hit turbulence and you shut the connection.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He wanted to tell her that he seemed out of it entirely because he was focused on not doing anything untoward between then and when he could get to a shower. But he didn’t. He looked down at her slight frown, wanting to do something to wipe it off of her lips. Frowns didn’t suit her as much as her small smiles did. Especially the ones which made her eyes sparkle.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m fine,” he said quietly, “I apologize if my behavior has you concerned. The population of Midgar is safe from me.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He inwardly cringed at that joke, making him wonder just how coherent he was in his current state, if he was starting to exhibit the typical and temporary mental decline that is to be expected considering everything over the course of the last hour or so. His eyes closed the moment he felt her hand on his cheek, a gesture he’d gotten familiar with the last week before the mission had split them. He couldn’t even resist leaning into the touch with a slight hum.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I want to help you, Seph,” he heard her voice say, her tone quiet but so gentle, “please let me.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Help me? In what way?” he asked, his voice betraying just how her words had affected him and how a part of him was supplying images of exactly how he wanted her to help him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“The flight can’t have been comfortable for you,” she said quietly, “and I might have made it less comfortable.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It would not be advisable for you to help me at this time,” he said, his voice still affected by his desires which demanded he grab her and carry her to his bed immediately, “I may do something untoward and--”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What if I didn’t mind it?” she interrupted with a grin, “or if I wanted to do something untoward instead?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He had to swallow back the saliva that had suddenly filled his mouth at Ami’s question. She… would be interested? In him?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Why?” he asked quietly, using the door and the doorway to keep him standing and to keep him from simply grabbing her and carrying her to his bed and absolutely… no. He was not thinking that right now.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Because I think… you’ve never had any… pleasant experiences in this way and you deserve to have some,” she said quietly as he opened his eyes to look into her own, seeing a bit of sadness, but always the gentleness and warmth that was always there.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A part of him wanted to accept what she was offering, to dive into the sensations she promised. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It might bring us closer to Hojo’s victory,” he ground out.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I think… it was all rigged against us from the start. Best we can do is make him work for his victory, bide our time so that we could turn his victory against him,” she said, her voice quiet.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hmm… I like the sound of that,” he said, his mind filing the idea away for later because it deemed that there was something far more important going on right that moment.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And that far more important something took him by surprise by drawing closer to him. He bent towards her instinctually, as if he were pulled towards her by an unseen hand. Soft lips pressed against his and the next thing he knew, he’d pulled her into his bedroom and closed the door behind her, never breaking the intoxicating kiss until he’d tried to push her to fall onto her back on the bed but she’d managed to flip their positions and he’d managed to be the one falling onto the bed on his back. Which had to have been difficult for her considering that she was holding a bag in a hand, the straps hanging off her wrist. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She shot him a grin which affected him in ways he hadn’t expected a facial expression to do so. At least before she looked more concerned.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I… I don’t want to cross any of your boundaries, okay?” she asked quietly, “I know that I probably damaged your trust in me back in Nibelheim, but… I won’t do that again.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I know you won’t,” he said, sitting up so he could reach out and comfort her by grasping one of her hands in his, “I trust you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“If the connection’s open, I could tell when I’m close to crossing a boundary and I’ll back off. Otherwise, I’ll have to be careful,” she said, “but I’ll always stop if you tell me to.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He reopened the connection and suddenly realized that he wasn’t the only one who felt this way. She wanted him the same way he wanted her and the sensation was enough to grab her and pull her onto the bed and held her close against him. The mere fact that he was wanted as much as he wanted her was enough to force him to realize just how precious she was to him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Seph?” she asked as soon as he held her as tightly against him as he dared.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Are you okay?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I… don’t know,” he responded, “I… I’ve never been in this position before. To know that what I feel towards you is… reciprocated… I…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She moved in his arms, pulling so that their faces were level and he could see the affection that he felt coming from her end of their link. He felt her hand on his cheek so her thumb could gently stroke his cheekbone and he let out a sigh, his sight blurring from his eyelids wanting to close. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“How soundproofed are the walls?” she asked quietly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Most constructions tend to have Silence embedded in the walls in such a way that when activated, sounds can come in through the walls, but don’t leave,” he said before asking, “why?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She gave him that same grin before saying, “no particular reason. You might want to activate the Silence effect rather soon, however.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He didn’t understand why she would be concerned with the soundproofing of the walls but figured it was one of those times that made sense to her simply due to how things are connected in her mind. It was another of those things that made her so unique in his eyes. He was about to lean over to kiss her when he found her lips already pressed against his. As they kissed, he got an image in his head of him laying on his back as she kissed his body and knew it was from her. Without much more prompting than that, he rolled over onto his back, holding her in place against him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘I am okay with that,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> he responded to the image moments before feeling her lips break the kiss to travel down his neck, hitting a spot that made him let out a sound due to the pleasurable feeling that was wracking his body, realizing why she was worried about soundproofing and activated the embedded Silence spell within the walls.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She continued to lavish attention on his neck as her hands gently rested on his shoulders as he felt her legs move to straddle him in just the right place and just the right ways that he had to call upon his reserves of willpower to keep from moving his hips. He closed his eyes, wanting nothing more than to enjoy this moment of exceedingly rare pleasure with a sigh. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Are you okay with me going further down?’</span>
  </em>
  <span> she sent at him as she continued to kiss that spot on his neck, going so far as to run her tongue over it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Very much so,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> he sent moments before feeling her body shift downward and her lips moved down to his left trapezius muscle.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He didn’t seem as sensitive there and judging by his lack of as much of a reaction, her lips moved onto his clavicle. Gently, he moved his right hand to stroke her hair, running his fingers through the short curls. She let out a small sigh as he fought the urge to pull her back for another kiss, even if a part of his anatomy ached and throbbed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Are you okay with me moving down or would you rather I give the other side of your neck some affection too?’</span>
  </em>
  <span> she sent, her voice echoing in his mind with some amusement and a lot of warmth.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘It may be best if you moved down. I don’t know how long I can keep myself motionless for you,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> he responded.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Then I’ll have to give your other side attention later then,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> she responded as her lips drifted over his pectoral muscles as if she were kissing every inch of him that she could.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘I’ll have you know that I intend to give you this kind of attention when you’re done with me,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> he warned, feeling her spike of desire and pleasure over the connection. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Promise?’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Promise.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Any thoughts he had regarding any further response or remarks were wiped out by the pleasure he felt as her lips reached his nipple before parting. He couldn’t help but to let out a cry as she started to suck on it, her tongue rubbing against it as her teeth gently pinched it. It was a sensation he’d never felt before and all he could perceive or even think about in that moment was the sheer bliss and pleasure she was giving him. He gasped for breath under her mouth, trying not to hyperventilate. He had enough breath in his lungs to let out a whine as she pulled her mouth away.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“...Ami…” he panted, looking down at her face which was looking up towards his own, his sight still blurry thanks to his lashes and inability to fully open his eyes in his current blissed state.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Are you okay?” she asked, sounding concerned as he gulped down air, getting a nod from him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Never had that happen before. Feels good,” he said, fairly certain that his voice was lower than normal and betrayed just how much he enjoyed that experience.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m glad,” she said with a chuckle, “I got a bit worried because you were close to hyperventilating and I’ve never been with a guy that vocal just from that. Usually they get vocal when I get to their penis.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>At the very thought of her mouth there, he felt it twitch seemingly in excitement as his mouth suddenly went dry just thinking of it. It was an attractive prospect, but there was definitely some concern there. Which he realized was making it easier to think. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Is that what you’re planning to do?” he asked quietly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“With your permission,” she said before asking, “is that a problem?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Potentially,” he admitted quietly, looking away from her, “ever since I reached a point in my development, Hojo has collected sperm from me. The only option he’s ever given me is if it’s collected by hand or mechanically.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Without warning, he was hit by a tidal wave of pure fury and was glad that it wasn’t aimed at him. His attention snapped to her as he saw tears start to form in her eyes moments before she wrapped her arms around his trunk in a tight embrace.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry, Seph,” she said quietly, “I didn’t know.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s okay,” he said, stroking her hair, wanting nothing more than to comfort her and ease the mix of anguish and raw fury.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He didn’t know what to do, knowing that she was furious over something that had been done to him for close to a decade, around the same time he’d been sent to SOLDIER. He’d never had someone be angry on his account before. The part of him which wasn’t uncertain as to how to react was almost pleased that she cared that much over something which was normal.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No it isn’t, Seph,” she said quietly, “that is horrible and sick that Hojo has been doing that to you and you don’t deserve that kind of treatment from anyone.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Perhaps in your world,” he said quietly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Mention it to Angeal and Genesis. Ask them if they think its okay,” she said, her tone challenging, “I’m willing to put a whole paycheck on the bet that they will have the urge to murder Hojo and tell you in no uncertain terms that what Hojo did to you is wrong and horrible.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I will later,” he said, running his fingers through her hair, “I apologize for ruining what we had.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s not ruined,” she said gently, “I have no problems going back to what I was doing and going as far as you feel comfortable with.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Please do. It felt divine,” he said with a smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He saw her nod before placing a kiss on the spot of his pectoral where she had rested her head. There was something about it that brought forth warm and gentle emotions towards her. Any further thoughts were drowned out by pleasure’s return, forcing away all of his worries and concerns under the waves of pleasure and bliss which made a part of him ache for attention. The whole time she was giving him such bliss, he knew he was making sounds he’d never made again, crying out in pleasure.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘How do you feel about my lips moving lower?’</span>
  </em>
  <span> she asked, her voice echoing within his head in concern.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Just move slowly,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> he responded.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Moments later and he heard a whine tear out of his throat as her lips started to slowly drift down his abs, paying special attention to every scar on their path. Almost as if she was trying to make up for the pain that had been afflicted to that location. With every inch, he found himself growing more uncertain. Would the memories from all those times ruin this wonderful experience? Or would the massive difference in his mental and emotional state and the fact that she was there was enough to keep it all at bay? He didn’t know but he realized that she was precious enough to him that it was worth an attempt. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘How would you like to proceed or not?’</span>
  </em>
  <span> she asked over their connection, her lips still placing tender kisses on every single scar they could find.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘I would like to attempt to let you enact your plan,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> he responded, </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘I don’t want you to be upset if it gets too much.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She pulled her face away so she could stare into his eyes as she spoke with a gentle, warm smile, “I won’t. I’ve been through this process before. I see it as a victory that you’re willing to give it a shot. Even if I have to stop until next time, I’m happy and proud of you and your courage to face your trauma.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He nodded before saying with a small smile, “you may want to move aside.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She nodded as she moved so that he could remove his pants and underwear, baring himself to her. Her eyes looked him over as he noticed that she smirked and he caught a wave of humor and amusement. He merely raised an eyebrow at her, prompting her to explain.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Just that… oh how to explain…” she trailed off before saying, “you know how I refer to the collection of video games and a movie as stories? Well, they’re more like official stories. People in my world like to make their own stories with the characters. And well… the ones involving descriptions of sexual activities involving that version of you… let’s just say that they tend to describe a certain attribute as massive. Though to make you feel better, yours is very respectable, definitely above average.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He didn’t feel insulted by her words, but was rather amused at the fact that fans of her world had as active an imagination as fans of this one. It was a detail he’d become quite aware of thanks to Genesis’s habit of finding fictions written by fans and reading it out to him just to see his usual perplexed embarrassment. Genesis seemed to enjoy finding the strangest fictions and reading them out, including making voices for the dialogue, just for his own enjoyment of seeing, as he’d put it ‘the Great Sephiroth crack’. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Is there any particular way you want me to proceed?” she asked, sounding as nervous as the emotions of hers which were coming over the connection.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I will trust your judgment,” he said, watching her intently as she looked back at her target and shot him a grin.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The moment her mouth descended and sealed around him, his eyes snapped shut and he was overcome by the feeling. Her mouth was warm, much warmer than anything used on him and that was enough to push away the memories and the pain. And then there was her tongue, stroking as much of him as it could. It was all so different and new that he found himself giving in to the sensations and pleasure she was giving him, finding that he had become much louder in his pleasure than he’d been earlier.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘I know this is going to be difficult for you, but I can’t handle it if you hold my head while I’m doing this. Also if you could refrain from moving your hips, that would also be appreciated,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> her voice echoed in his head.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘What if I’m merely stroking your hair?’</span>
  </em>
  <span> he responded.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Just as long as you’re not applying pressure,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> she responded, </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘would you like me to take in more?’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘As much as you want. I… this is amazing.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The next thing he was aware of, more of him was pulled into her mouth before she let out a hum which made that part of him vibrate, pulling another cry of pleasure out of his throat. A loud whine escaped when she pulled her mouth free, getting his attention.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Are you willing to try something I’ve never done with another person?” she asked with a grin.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m listening.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Also you said that Hojo has some sort of sensors embedded in our bodies?” she asked, getting a nod from him before continuing, “how would you feel about giving him a false positive?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You already had my attention before. What are you thinking?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Instead of explaining with words, she sent him a full image and it was definitely something he’d love to try. He gave her a nod before watching her pull out a fabric covered bundle from her bag and revealed the device and handed it to him. She shifted her positioning to give him access to use the device on her before returning to what she was doing.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘I wonder what would happen if we shared sensory information of our activities?’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hojo grinned to himself as he sat in his favorite chair with a mug of coffee as he watched the information come in from the monitoring devices he’d implanted in his star specimens. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘Finally, everything is coming together. Just as I planned,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> he thought to himself,</span>
  <em>
    <span> ‘it was a spark of genius to have the sensors trigger an alarm once certain hormones reach a certain level.’</span>
  </em>
  
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It had been almost an hour since he’d been alerted by the computer system that the sensors had detected high levels of certain hormones and he waited patiently for the implants to show either a decrease in those hormones or further developments to appear. He’d implanted them into the first specimen years ago when the newest model had been developed and shown to be more sensitive. He’d implanted them into the second specimen as soon as she arrived on the operating table, struggling for life.</span>
  <em>
    <span> ‘He almost succeeded in robbing me of such a wonderful specimen.’</span>
  </em>
  
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He grinned as he saw the devices detecting the hormonal levels plateauing in their bloodstreams as they continued to show elevated pulse, oxygen levels, and blood pressure. And then multiple spikes of oxytocin followed by a slow build up of testosterone. And he just sat there watching, grinning like a maniac. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘It’s finally happening after months of waiting.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He watched as pulse, oxygen levels and blood pressure continued to increase but not to the same level which would indicate light activity as he saw irregularly timed spikes of oxytocin. He took a sip of his coffee, eagerly anticipating the main event. The devices reported an increase in nitrogen oxide and noradrenaline.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After a half an hour at that point, he saw the readings change. The pulse rate and blood pressure of the two specimens increased to closer match that which would indicate strenuous activity as the spikes of oxytocin continued to be detected. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘And there we go. The main event.’</span>
  </em>
  <span> More of the expected hormones in expected spikes continued to be detected as he sat back in his chair. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘After months of waiting, I finally succeed.’</span>
  </em>
  
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He glanced at the clock and chuckled to himself. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘The event’s lasted three minutes so far. If I were less of a scientist, I’d be wondering if I should be jealous.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After about twenty minutes, which didn’t sound right because the male specimen had never shown that level of stamina when collecting sperm samples, he saw everything peak before everything reached a decreasing period, along with smaller spikes of oxytocin.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘I intend to do a thorough examination on both of you tomorrow.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ami relaxed against Seph, her chest resting in its usual spot as her naked body was practically draped over his. She’d never felt so relaxed and fulfilled before, even if she knew what they’d just done would not be considered intercourse. She hummed as she felt his arms give her a gentle squeeze as they continued to hold her in place moments before feeling his lips press against her forehead tenderly. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Are you glad I helped you with your problem?” she asked quietly, knowing that she was dozing.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Immensely. You?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“My only regret was not doing this sooner.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I… didn’t know you reciprocated my interest.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Same,” she said with a chuckle, “which is rather silly considering how much we’re in each other’s heads.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I think this is a learning experience for us both,” he murmured sleepily, “that we should be more open with each other.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She hummed in assent, just wanting to relax in the moment and in the feeling of their bodies pressed against each other.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And to think you promised to do to me what I did to you once I was done with you,” she said with a chuckle, hoping that he caught on that she was definitely not upset.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Mmm...next time, then,” he murmured before glancing over, “assuming you’d want there to be a next time.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I wouldn’t expect one but if a next time happened, I wouldn’t mind it,” she murmured back.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Dinner will be ready in fifteen!” she heard Angeal call out from the bottom of the stairs.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I suggest a shower,” she said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’d like that suggestion more if it included you in it,” he commented back with another gentle squeeze.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Only if it includes letting me soap you up,” she commented with a grin.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“If you will grant me the same honor,” he commented with a small smile, his eyes twinkling in amusement.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It would be unfair otherwise,” she commented as she reluctantly sat up, breaking contact with his body.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Angeal was willing to bet that something had changed in terms of Seph’s relationship with Ami just based on the singular fact that he had never seen the man so relaxed and loose before. He was always tightly wound up like a coiled spring inching ever closer to its breaking point. But now, he was utterly relaxed and clearly happier than he’d ever been. The other obvious clue was the fact that earlier, the two of them were exceedingly awkward when it came to physical touch as of late and now, Seph had his arm around her like he had no intention of letting her go. He had no intention to say any words on the matter, merely giving his friends a smile to let them know that he was happy to see them happy.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Genesis, however, was definitely not the sort to let something like this pass without making a scene, ever the drama queen.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Finally!” Genesis exclaimed, “I should no longer need to shove the two of you into a closet to deal with your previously unresolved issues!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“There’s a huge flaw with that idea, Gen,” Ami muttered with a smirk as she sat down and Seph moved his chair closer to hers, “that assumes we’d jump each other the moment we’re trapped in an enclosed space.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“With the energy you two were giving off, I doubt you two wouldn’t,” Genesis sniffed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Shall I tell him?” Ami asked Seph with a smirk, getting a nod in approval before she looked at Genesis and said, “we’ve been sleeping together since about a week before Seph was captured in Wutai. And by ‘sleeping together’, I don’t mean intercourse but the physical act of cuddling together with the express intention to engage in the activity of sleep together.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And not once…?” Genesis asked, looking as if he were staring at something new or unusual.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Once it became clear that my excitement may become an issue, I started to sleep with a pillow over my groin,” Seph stated, clearly enjoying the fact that he and Ami were confusing and baffling Genesis.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“<em>Really</em>, Seph? I find it hard to believe that you’d have Ami in your bed for weeks and <em>you’ve never done anything outside of cuddling</em>?” Genesis asked in complete confusion.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You have no idea how good his cuddles are,” Ami said as the door opened and Zack strode in.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sorry I’m late,” Zack said, closing the door behind him, “how good whose cuddles are? Did I miss something?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh thank gods!” Genesis exclaimed at the ceiling, “please tell me if this sounds rather impossible, if not implausible: these two claim to have been sleeping together <em>for weeks</em> and have claimed to have just only jumped each other’s bones <em>tonight</em>!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Actually we didn’t,” Ami said with a smile, getting Genesis to gape at her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Then what do you call <em>that</em>?!” Genesis exclaimed, motioning towards Seph with both hands, “he’s completely and utterly relaxed and has not let you go yet!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“She’s got a rather skilled mouth,” Seph said with a smile, clearly taking some amusement at Genesis’s conniption. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hold on, this is all over a <em>blowjob</em>?!” Genesis exclaimed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It wasn’t that minor, Gen,” Ami said darkly, “we had some intimate moments and <em>you</em> took it to mean we had intercourse.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“This is just so unheard of that you two have been <em>sleeping together</em> and only went so far as cuddling and now your huge leap in your relationship<em> wasn’t even over sex</em>?!” Genesis exclaimed in utter disbelief and confusion. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Wait,” Zack said, clearly having heard enough to weigh in, “you’re having a fit because they enjoy cuddles and are having a relationship that isn’t like how you have yours?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I just think they’re lying about getting any and that they don’t need to be ashamed. It’s perfectly healthy for them to engage in sex, that’s all,” Genesis stated, clearly a little snippy.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Gen, we know Seph. We know how honest he is. If he says that he and Ami have only cuddled together at night, then that’s what they did. And it’s honestly none of our business outside the fact that their relationship is clearly consensual and they’re happy with it,” he said, finally choosing now to speak, if only to rein Genesis in, “so what if they put more focus on things that isn’t sex? If that’s what makes them happy, then why should it matter to us? No one here is throwing fits over the fact that we hardly see you during the weekend because your hotel room has a revolving door.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He saw Genesis open his mouth to speak before pausing and closed it with a frown before actually speaking, “fine. You win, Angeal.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So, you two are together now?” Zack asked Seph.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We haven’t discussed whether we’re dating or not as of yet,” Seph said, his body language showing just how uncomfortable about the situation he was.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We have a lot to discuss in private as it is,” Ami said with a tired sigh and a frown as Seph’s PHS went off with the sound of a message notification as everyone started to dish up their own food.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He saw Seph do the near impossible and become even more pale before frowning deeply. Ami, seeming to detect his distress, placed a reassuring hand on his right bicep which was closest to her and looked up into his face.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What’s wrong?” she asked quietly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hojo wants us in his lab first thing in the morning. Post mission checks, among other things,” he said with a deep frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We’ll be fine,” she said quietly, clearly trying to reassure him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It didn’t work, but it was always difficult to comfort a Sephiroth that knows that he’s got an impending appointment with Hojo. With how much the man dreaded the company’s head scientist, he knew that there was more going on than the sparse anecdotes and statements Seph had made concerning his past. He knew that Seph clearly did everything he could to pretend that his life started in SOLDIER and especially since their friendship formed. What scared him most was the fact that nothing could cause Seph to show fear like that on the battlefield or in his life in general with the exception of Hojo. That usually meant that Hojo was a source of trauma for his friend and until his friend asked him for help or explained matters clearly, he really couldn’t help.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : : .</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Author’s Note: 4/11/21</p><p>So the beginning scene was originally in the previous chapter but it had gotten to the point of being 19 pages in the google doc, prompting me to move it to this chapter. I apologize if the relationship bit isn’t your cup of tea, but this is intended to be the one time it goes into a vague sort of detail without being glossed over entirely due to the massive step Seph took. </p><p>I figured he would be able to fight off his memories because of just how different the situation is compared to when Hojo collects that particular type of sample as well as just having it be Ami and how she constantly made him feel in control and that nothing happened without his consent. Will there be any other relationship stuff? Very likely, but nothing too new or unusual: just conversations, cuddling, and glossed over or referenced intimacy. Maybe a few stealth dates and kissing. </p><p>If any of you feel that the first scene in this chapter is worthy of bumping up the rating, please let me know and I will do so. I don’t want to screw up for being too much for whatever rating this is at. </p><p>Also, the Hojo scene was written all the way back in January and I had to edit it to fit the new set of circumstances. At the time, I was imagining Hojo much like Professor Tomoe from Sailor Moon: a dark silhouette with light reflecting off his glasses. Also the Hojo scene was the first scene involving Hojo’s perspective and thought processes. I enjoyed writing it and it also led me to wonder why. I still have no idea.</p><p>Laters!<br/>~Gregora</p><p>Next Time on BtV: Sephiroth and Ami confront a lot of things, not least of which is Hojo. Veld gets Lucrecia and Vincent settled in within Midgar.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0053"><h2>53. Where the Author has Lost Control of The Plot</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Sephiroth and Ami confront a lot of things, not least of which is Hojo. Veld gets Lucrecia and Vincent settled in within Midgar.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Disclaimer: I don’t own squat except for Ami. I’m just playing in Square-Enix’s sandbox, yo. Also, I need feedback and lots of since I know I’m not perfect and if things don’t mesh or match up, I’d like to know how to fix it. Anyways, on with the story!</p><p>Trigger Warning: Hojo (and all the things he brings with him)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Chapter Fifty</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Veld discovered that there were a few things that did not require specialized Turk training to notice. One of which was the level of tension in the car that he was driving. He knew that his old partner had a sordid past with the scientist, but he wasn’t aware that it was quite this bad. The way that Vincent was looking everywhere but at the scientist who was also the mother of the man’s son. And Professor Crescent looked like she was radiating guilt almost worse than Vincent was. It became quite obvious that the two were not going to talk at all unless he prodded them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Professor Crescent, do you know who your son’s father is?” Veld asked, watching the two parents react.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Vincent pointedly did not make eye contact with anyone except with him through the rear view mirror and it was a rather pointed look. Crescent, on the other hand gave a small smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I could guess based on Sephiroth’s appearance. Unless Hojo has some rather impressive recessive genes, Vincent is,” Crescent said with some amusement.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I still can’t... “ Vincent muttered quietly before glancing over to Crescent, “why did you choose him?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Crescent refused to look at Vincent, choosing instead to look out the window before speaking almost too quietly for anyone to hear, “because I… I’m the reason your father died. He… he was chiding me for devoting myself to my thesis and not taking care of myself. And then there was an explosion. He… pushed me out of the way… he saved my life at the expense of my own.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So… you dumped me because your grief got in the way,” Vincent stated quietly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And… I hope one day you and Sephiroth could forgive me for my mistakes. I… never meant for any of this to happen,” she said, turning her head so she was at least looking in Vincent’s direction.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And yet it did,” Vincent said quietly, “Sephiroth has an interesting take that he told me. He wasn’t as upset over what happened, over the fact that we made mistakes. He was more upset that we allowed our mistakes to become barriers.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“The kid’s got a good head on his shoulders as long as he has the time to heal and process his traumas and overcome whatever programming Hojo has conditioned into him,” Veld stated, “which is going to be your next assignment Vincent.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I retired, Veld,” Vincent stated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You have?” he asked with a smile, “you seem to be far too alive to be retired.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I got better,” Vincent responded in a deadpan.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Then you’re well enough to go back to work,” Veld stated, “and Sephiroth needs someone who knows deprogramming.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ve failed him once already,” Vincent stated with a frown, looking away.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Was he going to be the one to give these two a reality check? They looked as old as the kids and he was starting to think that maybe the kids had clearer minds than these two. He supposed it was because they had spent at most twenty years moping and feeling sorry for themselves which was why they were clear wrecks.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“As you said, the kid’s more upset about failures becoming barriers. So step up already. Move past your mistakes and do something that isn’t moping and feeling sorry for yourself. Which, by the way, what exactly did the two of you accomplish with hiding from the world and yourselves?” Veld asked, “I can tell you what you two managed to accomplish with that stunt. You two managed to allow Hojo to take your son away from you. You two allowed the madman to torture and abuse the kid in a bid to remove every last glimmer of humanity from him, which nearly succeeded.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“But there was nothing I could do,” Lucrecia said quietly, looking away. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You think the Turks would have allowed one of our own kids to be under Hojo’s care?” Veld asked, “let alone any kid? Sephiroth wasn’t the only child Hojo’s screwed over. There’s an orphan in the slums we’re keeping away from him. If you or Vincent had told us what went down, you can bet your gil that Hojo would have had a fight in his hands keeping a hold on Sephiroth. As it is, Hojo will be removed from his position by this time next year.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I remember when the Turks didn’t care,” Vincent stated, “did that change with you?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Not as much, no. It happened when our favorite sibling got himself killed and we noticed that we were the only ones who cared. The only ones who had enough heart within the company to grieve. We were united as a family over our shared grief and vowed to protect our own above all else because no one else will,” he said, remembering those painful days.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You seem certain that I’m capable of helping Sephiroth,” Vincent said, hiding the bottom half of his face behind his tall collar.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You understand Hojo just as well as he does and you’re his father. The two of you deserve to know each other and the kid deserves to have the both of you in his life if he wants you to be in it. Especially considering that Hojo’s forcing him to have kids already,” Veld said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He’s only twenty. He shouldn’t be forced to think about children this soon,” Vincent stated, clearly angry, “as it is, his career in SOLDIER should be starting yet he acts like he’s been in the program longer than he should have.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We suspect that he was twelve when he was shipped off to Wutai to fight in the war,” Veld said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Suspect?” Lucrecia asked, “you imply that no one knows when he was born.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Up until recently, it was believed that the only person who knew the kid’s birthday was Hojo. Not even Sephiroth was allowed to know when his birthday is or his age,” Veld said, showing how much such a thing affected him, “the kid’s never been able to celebrate his birthday.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He’s actually a month away from turning twenty-one. He’s a December kid,” Crescent said with a small smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Perhaps we should inform Hewley, Rhapsodos, Fair, and Anderson and surprise the kid with his first ever birthday party,” Veld stated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I sincerely hope that you have no problem with Hojo turning up dead one night,” Vincent stated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We still have information to sort through first,” Crescent said with a frown, “if I knew what Hojo is treating him with, I should be able to determine how necessary it is for his health. If I can also get the information from his quarterly physicals, I’d also have a clearer idea.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ll see what I can find. We may have to wait for his next quarterly appointment to obtain more information,” Veld said with a frown as he pulled the car up to what he knew was an officially abandoned building within an area of the slums that the Turks owned and controlled.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t like the idea of allowing Hojo to continue to torture Sephiroth,” Vincent said, clearly angry.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Torture?” Crescent asked, looking worried.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You know the kid’s been put through hell,” Veld stated, trying to rein in his anger at what he’d heard through the Turk grapevine.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Torture. Conditioning. Rape. A childhood spent being trained to be a soldier, a living weapon, an attack dog. To never question. To accept the unacceptable. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I was made aware,” Vincent stated, “he mentioned that he spent his childhood training to enter a warzone and he was a soldier for the last six years, which would put him at the age of twelve which means the Company has no problems throwing children into a warzone. Just how many times did they have to lower the enlistment age to allow for this to happen?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“At least three times over the last twenty years or so,” Veld stated, feeling the old anger at the very existence of child soldiers be used against Wutai.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He has also mentioned having been vivisected on a yearly basis, having had his skull opened up on three accounts to gather samples, having quarterly exams where Hojo collects every type of cell from him apart from brain cells, being constantly monitored except when in a few locations, and has the understanding that if he deviates from Hojo’s idea of perfection, he would find himself in Hojo’s lab,” Vincent said with clear anger, spitting out Hojo’s name with venom.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As Vincent spoke, he could see Crescent go pale and appear traumatized just from Vincent’s words. He even saw tears well up in her eyes as she hugged herself.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sweet Minerva.... What have I done?” he could hear her whisper, “no wonder why my visions went the way they did initially…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Anyone would break under the strain that Hojo has him under,” Vincent stated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Like the two of you, I have complete faith in the fact that the kid’s different from...that. Though, he’s got a rough time ahead of him and we’re going to need to make sure that he’ll be okay,” Veld stated, getting the usual Vincent Valentine look of demanding an explanation before he continued, “he and Ami have it bad for each other. She’s also one of Hojo’s specimens, a result of a machine of some kind that pulled her from another world and experimented on. Hojo seems to think that she’s good enough for the kid and wants those two to have kids together for him to experiment on. She believes that she’s going to wind up pregnant one way or another and that before she would show, she will need to be conveniently moved out of Hojo’s reach. Since we don’t know how much control Hojo has over him, she and I know that he shouldn’t have knowledge of her location.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That is likely to cause him great pain,” Vincent said quietly, “he mentioned how lonely his childhood was.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He didn’t have friends until Angeal Hewley and Genesis Rhapsodos refused to leave him alone and he became friends with them. We still keep the disc around because it’s the only time we have video evidence of Sephiroth not acting his usual calm and collected self,” he said, remembering seeing the teenager looking around like he was a Chocobo on the lookout for predators and ready to dart at the first sign of red hair. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re doing your best to convince me to spend time with Sephiroth and help him,” Vincent stated with a sigh.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He and miss Anderson were the reasons I knew you were still alive, Vinnie,” Veld said, getting the usual glare from Vincent for using the Name That Should Never Be Used Under Pain of Getting Shot.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Do you want my help or not?” Vincent asked icily.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s not me you’d be helping but your son. Doesn’t he deserve your help?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He knew that he had placed Vincent in a situation where he couldn’t disagree when he heard his old partner let out a sigh.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Just tell me where he lives. I’ll check in on him from time to time,” Vincent stated before leaving the car and helping Lucrecia out.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Veld rolled down the window and tossed a keyring at his old partner, hoping to catch Vincent unaware but the guy managed to catch the keyring in his hand without looking. He waited to leave until both of them had entered the safe house and was no longer in view before driving away into the Midgar night.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As Ami sat in the passenger side of Seph’s car, her mind whirled nervously. She knew that Hojo hadn’t summoned them to report to his labs first thing in the morning just for a post-mission check; not that suddenly, at least. No, she was certain it was because she and Seph had been intimate without engaging in intercourse and whatever implants Hojo had shoved into their bodies would have recorded their activities, which would show up as if they had done the deed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And yet, her mind went to the long conversation they had the previous night as they curled up in a rather comfortable cuddle. She always enjoyed their cuddles since she could never feel anything but safe in his arms. It was likely one of the reasons that she’d managed to bounce back from the trauma in Wutai so well, that and the fact that she was quite familiar to that particular brand of trauma outside of the groping. According to the rumor mill, the incident had created quite the rift between SOLDIER and the Infantry, outside of the one that had already existed. But this time, it was on the SOLDIER side. It was weird seeing all of SOLDIER come together as an actual community and all because of what had happened to her. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But that was a completely different train of thought. She knew that they had a lot to discuss. Nibelheim. Her discipline for her insubordination. Lots of apologizing from her, which she had a good feeling he would accept her apologies. Their emotions towards each other. Their relationship had definitely changed irreversibly. Their plan going forward. How they were going to make it all so very difficult for Hojo. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hojo. She couldn’t wait until he was removed from power and begged her for mercy. And how she would tell him that mercy would be wasted on him as she would make sure that his death was as slow and painful as possible. He didn’t deserve the gift of a quick death. No, if she could stretch his suffering out for months, it would be suitable for a monster like him. He deserved that much based on Seph’s physical and psychological scars. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘I… don’t know if I could participate in that,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> he sent at her, his voice echoing in her head uncertain and uncomfortable.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘And that makes you an infinitely better person than he is,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> she responded, looking up into his eyes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was funny how she normally couldn’t make eye contact without it bothering her and yet she found herself so captivated by his eyes. Was it because somewhere in her brain, she wasn’t perceiving his eyes as human but something else? She knew that she didn’t have nearly as much of an issue staring at cats’ eyes. Perhaps the similarity offered her the ability to gaze upon them with little discomfort.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We have a lot to discuss,” she stated with a sigh.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That we do,” he agreed with a small smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I have no idea where to start,” she said with a frown, “there’s too many things and I’m concerned that we won’t have enough time tonight to go through it all.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“How long did you feel this way towards me?” he asked suddenly before saying, “you sounded like you were searching for a topic to start at.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know. I think it was just a lot of small moments,” she admitted quietly, suddenly finding it easier to stare at his jaw than his eyes, “I know that… the last time we stargazed in Wutai… I wanted to hug you to try to comfort you when you brought up your childhood.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Instead, we held hands for the first time,” he said, his words warm and amused as she saw what she’d describe as a small smile on his lips.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I didn’t want to be too forward,” she said, feeling her face start to warm up, “and then I realized just how much time we spend in each other’s presence when you got captured.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“My thoughts of you, my hope that I would see you once I escaped or was rescued, were what kept me from giving in,” he said gently, “I knew that even if they made it appear that I was claimed by the Lifestream, you were smart enough to determine the truth.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So you were already smitten when we kissed in Wutai,” she said with a grin.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Quite. But I wasn’t interested in physical relations,” he admitted as she could tell that he was starting to blush rather deeply as he was clearly not quite used to having this kind of conversation, “even after the first time we shared a shower. However, I admit that I still think it’s rather adorable that you were carrying on as if your fantasies were rather lascivious when they simply involved feeling my hands on your back, neck, face, and flanks. Although I believe I have granted you a proper fulfilment of that fantasy of yours in the shower earlier.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She thought it was rather adorable how he was blushing, his cheekbones turning a rosy color. A clear sign that he was having some level of discomfort with the conversation topic, but she knew that he was willing to keep the conversation going. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I know I wasn’t thinking of, as you put it ‘physical relations’ until earlier today on the Gelnika,” she admitted, feeling her face continue to radiate heat, “when I noticed that something was poking at me and had enough brain cells fire up to remind me what it meant. And when you closed the connection, I took it as an opportunity to feely mull over how I felt, why I felt the way I do, what it means, and how far I’m willing to go.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And that was why you showed up at my bedroom door, prepared for physical relations,” he stated, his blush deepening.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I… I reacted the way I did in Nibelheim entirely because I was scared of losing you,” she said quietly, “I was scared that the closer you’d get to the main body, the more influence it would have over you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And I was concerned of the potential that he would take over the main body and attack you and that you’d die from your injuries while I was too far away to protect you,” he said quietly, “and that by being near you, I could step up and defend you and your presence would be enough to shield me from the main body.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“If I’d done what you said and stopped fighting you, it would have resulted in a better scenario, wouldn’t it?” she asked quietly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You weren’t thinking clearly. Angeal informed me that you had been sleeping poorly the whole time you were away,” he said, his words still gentle and warm, “and I understand that you wished to protect me as I do you. If you had stopped fighting me, I wouldn’t have kissed you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And that was quite a kiss. Almost like you didn’t think you’d get another ever again.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I believed that in sending you away like that, you’d resent me and what we had would shatter,” he said quietly, closing his eyes as his voice went quiet.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She reached out to touch his face gently as her heart ached as she remembered the kiss with that context. She knew that there was something almost bittersweet coming from him over the connection as they kissed. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>If I’m of questionable sanity, it’s because of you, Ami.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I would probably have if I had actual, substantial concerns of your psychological state and you were secluding me away like some helpless little girl. But I didn’t and you weren’t. You were aware that I was temporarily compromised and would have endangered the mission and everyone on it if you hadn’t put me under lock and key. In the state I was in, it was also likely the best thing you could have done for me. Sure, I had a rather ridiculous and immature tantrum at the time, but I know that it was a rather ridiculous and immature tantrum. And I’m rather embarrassed by my actions.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I would likely feel the same had I spent days in that basement library reading Hojo’s lies,” Seph said quietly, “and I needed to be dragged to a room in the inn instead.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Gratitude and warmth came in waves through the connection as she felt his arms around her give her a slight squeeze. He’d seen her memories of the cutscenes of the games, detailing how another version of him had spent a week pouring over what had later been discovered to have been lies. And he likely saw that same room, knowing the truth of what that room held. Lies and the death of a version of him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And you know I would drag you out of that hell, even if I’d have to hit you over the head with something hard to knock you out first,” she commented with a small smile, “and I’m glad it doesn’t exist anymore.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“As am I. It looked exactly as it did in your recollection,” he said with a frown, “and to think I would have fallen for Hojo’s trap had I not have had you in my life.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So what’s going to be my punishment for insubordination?” she asked with a frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“A full night’s rest,” he said with some amusement, “all witnesses agreed that it was sleep deprivation that led to your behavior and you got punished enough.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Or it’s favoritism keeping me from being punished further,” she muttered.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Even if I were to tell you that it was Angeal’s advice that you had been disciplined enough considering the extenuating circumstances?” he asked with some amusement, “not that I would do much more than I already am considering your already exceedingly short leash.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She knew she was pouting as if she were a handful of years younger as she said, “it wasn’t my fault that the Queen Harpy got jealous that I admitted to have kissed you twice at that point.” She then started to connect the dots before saying, “we are going to need to act like nothing changed or she might actually kill me.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I refuse to give her an opportunity to harm you again,” he said, his voice going low as she felt some of his emotions leak out onto the connection, a sort of protectiveness that held a promise of violence. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Just don’t do anything that will screw things up for all of us,” she said with a frown, “we just need to bide our time until Rufus takes over the company.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And how long will that take?” he asked quietly, “you might already be out of my grasp thanks to Hojo’s machinations at that point.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“If that’s the case, I’m sure Rufus would do everything he could to find me with the understanding that his methods would be just as thorough but less destructive as yours,” she said with a small smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“How can you trust him? He’s a Shinra.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s not so much as trusting him as trusting in how pragmatic he is and that he won’t compromise allies and assets,” she stated, “and his reactions seem promising although I don’t fully know how much of that was an accurate read on my part and whether it was an honest reaction. I assume we’ll likely get another meeting to discuss developments from the Nibelheim mission in terms of our enemy as well as get Vincent and your mother caught up.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Since you mentioned them,” Sephiroth stated, “the reason Veld had me accompany him to Nibelheim was because of the genetic comparison the Turks ran on my genetics once it was added to their database. It showed that Hojo wasn’t my father, but Valentine is.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Not surprised considering that Hojo looks like a gremlin and you’re far too pretty to have any of his genetics,” Ami stated, noticing that his blush had been fading but had returned. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She hadn’t seen him blush very often, but had noticed that this was the deepest blush she’d ever seen on his face and decided that he looked utterly adorable like that. She felt a ripple of affection over the connection as she felt him move his head towards her before pressing his lips against her forehead before slowly pulling back.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Did I do that correctly? I heard that it’s a common way to casually show affection.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She nodded, “you did that perfectly.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She’d somehow forgotten that he was more socially clueless and awkward than she was. He was going to need a lot of help before he could become more confident in their new relationship, but that was rather normal in her opinion. She looked away from his face as she contemplated the other large topic that needed to be discussed, which was whether their relationship would deepen or not. Honestly, she didn’t want to feed Hojo with too many false positives and it would be unfair for their relationship to get any deeper considering that it was a matter of time before she would have to escape from Hojo’s reach and that meant leaving Seph. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Whatever you’re thinking weighs on you. Do you wish to discuss it?” he asked, his voice cautious but still warm.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s just that… I know that if we feed Hojo too many false positives without an explanation that they’re false positives, he’ll start making more moves against me. If we explain that they’re false positives, I’m concerned that he’ll start to make his move. And… if I ever become pregnant, I can’t stay without endangering our child,” she said quietly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“If you become pregnant, there’s nothing that will keep me from gutting him if he so much as tries to get you or our hypothetical child,” he said with a sort of fierceness in his tone.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“If you do that, it could disrupt our plans for the most peaceful takeover of the company as is possible. You’re not the only one who has reason to want Hojo dead. Besides, with Hojo killed at this time, who gets his spot? Hollander, most likely, and he’s almost just as bad as Hojo. Sure, he’d more likely focus his attention on Genesis and Angeal rather than us and is likely to give us far more freedom than Hojo, but I don’t trust him,” she said with a frown, “not to mention that it would give the Turks a lot of work to try to create a cover story to give to the President in order to keep you from being killed or hunted down over it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“If you were to get pregnant, I wouldn’t care what would happen to me as long as it meant that our child wouldn’t go through the same that I had to go through with Hojo,” he said quietly with a tone that suggested that he wasn’t going to budge to her ears.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Then it’s clear that I’m going to need to do all I can to not get pregnant because there is absolutely no way I’d let you get yourself killed just to take out Hojo. Even if it would make our lives easier without him in it,” she said, feeling a deep frown on her face, “because if I have to choose between a life with you and Hojo or a life without you, then I’d rather suffer with Hojo while you’re still here and not being hunted down.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Do you honestly doubt my capability to survive whatever the President would throw at me?” he asked, giving her a raised eyebrow.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“In the games, Zack didn’t survive being gunned down by hundreds of Infantry and this time they’ve got ammunition that can actually damage you,” she said with a frown, “or have you forgotten how you got this scar?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“However the ammunition is currently limited to those within Director Scarlet’s control and likely would be given to Turks before it would reach the Infantry and even then, it would take time to stockpile enough for it to be an issue. So if I were to make a move against Hojo, I would need to do so sooner rather than later,” he said, sounding like he was coming up with a plan.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Earlier you were uncertain about ruining the guy’s life and now you’re on board with killing him?” she asked with a frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He gave a small frown before saying, “the only reason he still lives is because it’s currently not worth it to kill him. The moment he makes any move towards you or our child… I would not hesitate to do what is required to protect you and our children, if we have any.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Would you willingly want any if you had a choice in the matter?” she asked quietly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“If I had a choice…” he said with an almost bitter scoff, “that would require a completely different set of circumstances than what we currently have. It’s quite clear that I don’t have a choice in the matter so your question is rather ridiculous to consider. But, hypothetically… probably not. Not until I understand exactly what Hojo has done to me and the effects on me and even then… for me to have children would be forcing them to go through a life where they would live with whatever they inherit from me and they would be seen as abnormal and unnatural. Their peers would look at them in fear and revulsion until they do something to gain everyone’s admiration. No. That is not a life I would wish for them.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Seph, normalcy is overrated. I tried to be normal once and it sucked,” she said quietly, “but I understand where you’re coming from. I don’t feel either fear or revulsion towards you and neither do your friends. I’m quite certain that if we have any children, they’ll find some friends of their own who will accept them just as how you have friends who accept you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You still treat me as abnormal and unnatural, whenever you look at me.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You think I… by looking at you and calling you ‘pretty’ and ‘gorgeous’ and compare you to a work of art?” she asked, staring right at him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“All works of art are unnatural because they are created by human hands. As for abnormal, you can not come up with a reason that I’m not.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>I’m</span>
  </em>
  <span> abnormal,” she said with a smile, “one could make a case that Zack is pretty abnormal too in that he’s almost too normal to even be in SOLDIER. There’s nothing wrong with that or with you, Seph.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And yet you treat me in such ways that I’m not worthy--” Seph said, looking away before she decided that the best way to cut him off was by covering his mouth with her own before pulling back.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>You</span>
  </em>
  <span> don’t get to decide who’s worthy of </span>
  <em>
    <span>my</span>
  </em>
  <span> attention or affection, Seph,” she stated, staring straight into his eyes, “we’ve covered this back with the whole incident with Reno. I don’t care if you feel unworthy because </span>
  <em>
    <span>I</span>
  </em>
  <span>’ve deemed you worthy and that’s all that matters.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He looked at her with an expression she couldn’t read and she couldn’t identify the emotions which were coming over the connection. It wasn’t an emotion that concerned her as it seemed to be a positive emotion, akin to surprise. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“If you were trying to talk me out of killing Hojo if he were to ever make a move against you, there’s nothing that will keep me from disemboweling him now that you’ve said such things to me,” he said quietly, “because he is simply not worthy of even touching you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Seph,” she said with a sigh before looking into his eyes, “we’ve spent almost the entirety of our lives apart. I refuse to allow you to do something that brain dead which would result in living the rest of my life without you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And he has done enough to you. We don’t even know the long term effects of what he’s done to you are,” he said quietly, “and the very thought of living without your presence, even temporarily, is painful to comprehend. I… do not want to lose you, Ami.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She felt the car stop, pulling her from her memories. Looking around, she realized that they had just arrived at the usual parking spot before the vehicle was put into park and the engine shut off. They wordlessly unbuckled their seat belts and left the car with him spending an extra moment to grab Masamune. She knew that they were required to carry their weapons on them but the fact that their first destination was Hojo’s lab made her uneasy, as if he was about to redecorate the lab by turning the walls a new color.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : .</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hojo couldn’t hide his excitement at the very real possibility that the two specimens had procreated. At the very least, he wanted to see if there were any side effects from the two having been in close proximity with Jenova. He couldn’t hide his amusement as the specimens walked in, clearly hiding any and all indicators of affection. He didn’t like the fact that his perfect specimen was clearly becoming attached yet the attachment would be beneficial to ensure multiple offspring from the couple. If the specimen getting attached to the female was the price he had to pay for a future generation to perfect further, then it had to be a sacrifice he would have to make.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“While I deal with him, I will need you to remove all garments covering everything from your waist down,” he told the female while motioning for his masterpiece to sit on the examination table.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He hadn’t expected the immediate reaction from his masterpiece, the most violent glare he’d ever received. A glare that made him think of that failure of a specimen Valentine. The specimen’s green feline eyes glowed brilliantly due to the mako, revealing that the specimen’s emotions were high. That was going to be a problem if the specimen were to remain a weapon for the company and not the equivalent of a stud chocobo.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What are your intentions?” the specimen asked with a clear frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Just a sexual wellness check. I will merely collect a sample of any discharge present for analysis,” he stated, knowing that such an analysis would confirm the presence of semen.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“For what reason?” the specimen asked, its glare not yet abating.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“The female had an incident last month and I want to ensure that my precautions against unwanted pregnancy has proven successful,” he stated, using that excuse for now, which would make some sense to the rather dull specimens.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s easier just to let it happen,” the female said with a sigh, “gotta pick my battles carefully.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And I’m picking mine,” the specimen nearly growled, “does this have anything to do with what your implanted sensors likely told you?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Possibly,” he responded, “but it’s just one reason of many that I have. Don’t attempt to understand that which is beyond your capability, boy.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Really?” the specimen asked dryly, raising an eyebrow, “perhaps it’s you who is attempting to understand things that are beyond yours.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And what is it that I’m incapable of understanding about this?” he asked, willing to humor the boy for now.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Everything about human interpersonal relationships and intimacy,” the specimen stated with a frown, “you merely saw your sensors registering what happened and you assume that it’s because we had intercourse when we were merely intimate. It’s almost like you only think that intimacy means intercourse, which tells me just how pathetic you truly are, Hojo.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Over twenty years of work and research went into the specimen and yet it was obviously showing faults again. Faults that needed repairing. It was one thing to allow it to form an attachment to its mate, but for it to verbally assault him was something he couldn’t allow. The specimen, that which was supposed to be a living weapon, was becoming sentimental. Something which could endanger so much of his hard work over the decades. He was going to need to nip the problem sooner rather than later.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re becoming sentimental,” he spat, “sentimentality has no place on a battlefield. Nor in my masterpiece. Tell me, is it the female’s doing?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The specimen’s immediate reaction was to step between him and the female in a defensive manner. It didn’t need to speak. That very action told him everything. It was clearly a foolhardy action to allow the two specimens to be in proximity with each other for extended periods of time. Which meant that he was going to have to act quickly to salvage the whole experiment before everything he’d been working on - decades’ worth of work - was destroyed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What has she done to you?” he asked quietly, staring at his once-nearly perfect specimen which was slowly proving to become a failure completely due to some unforeseen weakness that was accessed by having a female in proximity for an extended period of time, “have you forgotten what I’ve taught you about females?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No I haven’t,” the specimen said with a frown, “but I’ve learned that you are wrong about them. At least about Ami, just as you’re wrong about so many things.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I see that I’m going to need to put you through intensive retraining,” he said with a frown, “a pity, but it clearly can’t be helped.” He then used the tone of voice he’d conditioned Sephiroth to obey, ordering, “go to your enclosure and wait for me.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He saw the specimen almost move towards the mentioned enclosure before resisting. This was going to take a while to repair, which he didn’t mind. After all, the specimen reminded him so much of its mother which made such things oh so much easier on him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Go to your enclosure, now,” he commanded, putting more force into his tone and words and he saw the specimen flinch before clearly fighting against the command as it jerkily moved towards its enclosure.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The female looked saddened as she watched it walk away with great effort before giving him a glare.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You are aware that the first chance he’ll get, Sephiroth will kill you for this. And I won’t stop him,” the female said with a frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Which is why he will never have a chance,” he said with a smile, “after all, he would never endanger your life considering his attachment to you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>. : : .</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Author’s Note: 4/29/21</p><p>So it took weeks to get this one out. </p><p>I got the first dose of the vaccine this last monday and my left arm’s almost back to normal.</p><p>Also Sephiroth decided to cause a scene with Hojo. </p><p>This might have pushed this arc to end sooner because of situations. I really wanted to keep this arc together for three more months in-universe (until the end of February 0001).</p><p>I had a list of plot points that needed to happen, lol. </p><p>Let’s see what happens next because the characters have decided to take over the plot.</p><p>Until Next Time!<br/>~Gregora</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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